SEAT is excited to announce the launch of our Tinker Federal Policy Fellowship, named in honor of Mary Beth Tinker, a staunch supporter of SEAT and a trailblazer in the fight for social justice and students’ rights. As a movement advocating for a seat at the table, SEAT carries on the legacy Tinker has built as we develop transferable skills and demonstrate youth visibility in policymaking. This program formalizes SEAT’s federal policy advocacy, from the classroom to Capitol Hill, and bolsters our movement’s pillars, which Tinker remains active in exemplifying today.
Fellowship Purpose
Facing a shifting federal policy landscape affecting public education, civil rights, and democracy, student voices are needed now more than ever to be the frontline for defending our communities and our shared future.
The Tinker Fellowship, led by SEAT’s Federal Policy and Programs teams, will offer an intensive and highly-skilled curriculum to engage students in federal advocacy from the grassroots. As many youth (and all people, actually) find federal policy as a space that seems so foreign, SEAT intends to bust public angst and disillusion by demonstrating that federal policy can truly be a powerful avenue for young people to make a difference and shape policies affecting our everyday lives.
Policy Focus
Alongside success with SEAT’s Youth Mental Health Agenda in Congress and the Biden-Harris Administration, SEAT leads high-caliber advocacy in the following areas of concern through policy, law, media, and organizing:
- The attempted dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education.
- The gutting of federal education funding and assistance programs.
- The abolishment of civil rights oversight in the Education and Health & Human Services departments.
- The federal voucher program in the One Big Beautiful Bill that takes millions of dollars to fund private schools.
Applications Due Jan 31, 2026 at 11:59 PM (local time)
Tinker Fellowship applications are open now, and applicants will be notified of a decision in February. The program begins in February and concludes in June. For any questions or concerns, please reach out to SEAT’s Federal Policy Director, Ayaan Moledina, at ayaan@studentsengaged.org.
Participant Eligibility
- Students must be a Texas resident or native.
- The program is open exclusively to high school juniors and seniors as well as college undergraduate students.
- Previous experience in some sort of legislative advocacy (either state or federal) is required as a pre-requisite for this program.
- Students from rural communities, low socioeconomic backgrounds, and historically marginalized backgrounds will be prioritized.
- Students should have a flexible schedule allowing them to engage during business hours (i.e. taking meetings or communicating with the SEAT team).
- This is an intensive and time-consuming program. Individuals should only apply if they can fully commit.
- Students under the age of 18 must have a parent or legal guardian approve an agreement with SEAT regarding public engagement, media, and travel.
Program Expectations
The program will meet virtually every other week, February to June, for two hours. Students must be willing to commit to attending all virtual sessions, an in-person trip to Capitol Hill, and completing asynchronous assignments regarding SEAT legislative advocacy, fellows’ own capstone projects, and preparing for the DC trip.
The cohort of approximately 7-10 students will receive a $250 stipend near program completion and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. in May 2026 where they will advocate for various education and youth-related policies, intertwined with the capstone advocacy projects that they have been working on.
SEAT commits to supporting fellowship alumni in their ongoing endeavors, connecting them with influential people in advocacy and on the Hill, and helping them gain invaluable experience and political knowledge that will come in handy in all future opportunities, leadership, and public engagement.
SEAT is excited to solicit applications for the Mary Beth Tinker Federal Policy Fellowship, and we look forward to welcoming students from diverse backgrounds to empower themselves and those around them to build a more democratic, equitable, and inclusive state and nation.
A full curriculum outline can be found here.
