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Congressional Hill Day

̽»¨Â¥ Congressional Hill Day

̽»¨Â¥ Hill Day allows members to engage with congressional offices to discuss their work and share their perspective, as practitioners, on how policy impacts the work they do daily. ̽»¨Â¥ Advocates discuss the association's legislative priorities, including:

Advocates also participate in online training in preparation for the meetings, including ̽»¨Â¥'s on-demand Federal Legislative Process and Advocacy 101 course. The course, which is open and free to all ̽»¨Â¥ members, provides a breakdown of the federal legislative process, helpful insights on how to set up and prepare for meetings with your representatives, and tools to help State & Regional organizations engage with both state and federal issues while remaining in federal compliance. Other online and in-person training sessions cover:

  • What to Expect for Hill Day – highlighting what to expect during meetings with Congressional representatives and reviewing ̽»¨Â¥'s legislative priorities
  • Panel Discussion with Congressional Staffers – Hill staffers answer frequently asked questions and provide advice for both first-time and seasoned advocates
  • Insights into Higher Education – offering advocates a chance to hear from an individual from the press on some of the latest issues affecting college campuses

This year, ̽»¨Â¥ Congressional Hill Day will be held in-person in Washington, DC from July 14 - 15, 2025. Below is an overview of the event timeline:

1) Applications Open: Tuesday, March 18, 2025

2) Applications Close: Friday, April 25, 2025

3) Applicants are Notified: Mid-May

4) Congressional Hill Day: Monday, July 14, 2025 - Tuesday, July 15, 2025

Monday will be dedicated to preparing participants for their Congressional meetings.
Tuesday will be dedicated to Congressional meetings.

Past ̽»¨Â¥ Hill Days

2024| 27 ̽»¨Â¥ advocates from 20 different states met in-person with over 90 congressional offices.

2023| 23 ̽»¨Â¥ advocates met in-person with over 40 congressional offices.

2022| 33 ̽»¨Â¥ advocates met virtually with nearly 75 congressional offices.

2021| 33 ̽»¨Â¥ advocates met virtually with nearly 60 congressional offices, specifically focusing on members that sit on the House and Senate education committees.

2019| 53 ̽»¨Â¥ advocates conducted over 100 meetings with congressional leaders.

2018 | 42 ̽»¨Â¥ advocates met with over 80 congressional offices.

Meet This Year's Advocates

    Loida Gonzalez Utley hill day badge Paul Myskiw hill day badge Jill Manuel hill day badge Alana Davis hill day badge Sara Sullivan hill day badge Jonathan Reece hill day badge Staci Bernhard hill day badge Vanessa Jackson hill day badge Michelle Gruber hill day badge Zachary Swartz hill day badge Philip Hunt hill day badge Yasmine Hill hill day badge Bryant Faust hill day badge Morgan Jackson hill day badge Dawn Renta hill day badge Catharine Punchello hill day badge Lanying Huang Hill day badge  Kelly Hogencamp hill day badge Emily Gallagher hill day badge Nicole Wilson Hill Day Badge 2024 Kaitlyn Roberts hill day badge Jonathan Helm hill day badge Elias Dubose hill day badge Will Lipske hill day badge Wendy Lin-Cook hill day badge Vicki Walker hill day badge Erika Swain hill day badge Justin Schilke hill day badge Josh Hibbard hill day badge Nicholas Jobe hill day badge

Testimonials

Testimonials from Past Advocates

The text
Are you the next Hill Day Advocate?

My Experience as a First-Time Hill Day Advocate and Why You Should Apply

Mar 17, 2025

Faith Farley, a GWU student and ̽»¨Â¥ Government Relations intern, shares her first-time experience advocating on Capitol Hill—now it’s your turn. Apply for ̽»¨Â¥â€™s Hill Day starting March 18, through April 25.

Photograph of Capitol Hill Steps.

Jack and Jill went up the Hill

Sep 2, 2024

Taking advantage of and getting involved with the advocacy opportunities being an ̽»¨Â¥ member provides.

Aerial view of Washington D.C.

Creating Academic Policy to Serve Our Students

Aug 5, 2024

Promoting student success by advocating for change in academic policy.

Photo of cherry trees in bloom Washington, DC.

Advocating and Sharing Expertise

Aug 5, 2024

Leveraging ̽»¨Â¥ opportunities to advance the profession both personally and for the membership as a whole.

Photograph of Capitol Hill.

Transforming Passion into Action

Aug 5, 2024

More than just words, ̽»¨Â¥ member Michelle Gruber shares her perspective on attending the 2024 Congressional Hill Day event.

Engage with Congressional Offices at ̽»¨Â¥'s Hill Day

Apr 30, 2024

Become an advocate, discuss higher education policy with decision-makers, and grow your network.

Photograph of Congress with Cherry Blossoms.

Congressional Hill Day Wrap-Up 2023

Jul 21, 2023

̽»¨Â¥'s Congressional Hill Day gives a voice to membership and empowers higher education leaders to lead on the issues affecting their institutions.

Photograph of street leading to Capitol Hill at dusk.

Hill Day 2023: In-person On Capitol Hill

Mar 20, 2023

Advocate and make your voice heard at the 2023 ̽»¨Â¥ Congressional Hill Day.

Photograph of the U.S. Capitol from Arlington National Cemetary.

̽»¨Â¥ Members Advocate for Higher-Ed

Jul 11, 2022

Learn more about ̽»¨Â¥ Hill Day and meet the 2022 Advocates.

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Become an Advocate at Hill Day

May 16, 2022

Apply to participate in this year's virtual event and advocate for higher education policies that impact the work that you do on a daily basis.

photo of grass field leading up to Capital hill

Congressional Hill Day Wrap-up

Nov 1, 2021

See how ̽»¨Â¥ members became advocates and lent their voices to promote positive change in higher education.

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̽»¨Â¥ Hill Day Advocate Spotlight

Aug 9, 2021

̽»¨Â¥'s 2021 Congressional Hill Day Advocates have been chosen.

photo of the US capitol

Apply for ̽»¨Â¥â€™s Virtual Hill Day

Jun 14, 2021

̽»¨Â¥ invites all members to participate in the 2021 Congressional Hill Day event.

Group of ̽»¨Â¥ members standing infrom of the U.S. Capitol building.

̽»¨Â¥ 2021 Congressional Hill Day

Jun 1, 2021

̽»¨Â¥'s 2021 Congressional Hill Day is coming this September and is in a virtual format.

the text "building the blueprint" is on the left with a photo of a smiling female on the right

Building the Blueprint: ̽»¨Â¥ Hill Day 2019

Jul 8, 2019

A series of articles from early-career professionals navigating higher education.

Faded blue background photo of Capital Hill with the words "̽»¨Â¥ Advocate, 2019 Congressional Hill Day" displayed next to a headshot of Bianca Thompson-Owen

Field Notes: Ready… Set… Advocate! 2019 ̽»¨Â¥ Hill Day

Jun 25, 2019

53 ̽»¨Â¥ advocates had over 100 meetings with congressional leaders. A first-time attendee shares her eye-opening experience.

Male holding a white sign with the words "Got Purpose?" written on it in bold black lettering.

A moving testimony about the work ̽»¨Â¥ members do

Aug 3, 2018

"Our work is important and meaningful for students, and our organizations are critical to maintaining consistency in higher education, and being innovative in solving higher education issues," writes Arturo Torres, ̽»¨Â¥ Leadership attendee.

Large group of ̽»¨Â¥ members dressed in formal business attire as they stand in a cross walk with the U.S. Capitol visible in the background.

Leadership, learning and laughter

Jul 2, 2018

Advocating on Capitol Hill, reviewing the Strategic Plan, and playing foursquare.

Simplified image of the U.S. Capitol Dome on a blue background with the following text written next to the image: ̽»¨Â¥ Day on the Hill.

̽»¨Â¥ Leadership returns to Capitol Hill

Jun 18, 2018

With Senators and Representatives, ̽»¨Â¥ will discuss HEA Reauthorization, FERPA, the Reverse Transfer Efficiency Act, and the PROSPER Act.