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Scholar's Day 2026

Be Honored. Be More.

Be honored at our largest event of the year - a scholar's summit in our hometown of Atlanta, Georgia!

This two-day educational conference will feature:

  • (7) Educational sessions
  • Interactive exhibits & games
  • Onsite College and Career Fair
  • Live Onsite Recording of the "NSHSS Scholar's Connect" Podcast
  • Countless networking opportunities
  • Proud Parent Panel Discussion
  • NSHSS Member Party, where fellow NSHSS members can dance the night away together

Learn more about all of the benefits of NSHSS membership, including:

  • $2.5 million in scholarship opportunities yearly
  • access to an extensive network of university, educational, and corporate partners
  • leadership development groups
  • a lifetime network of fellow NSHSS members
  • and more!

This prestigious event is a celebration of academic excellence, where each member will be honored for their academic achievements!

 **For a limited time, we are giving our members 50% OFF all tickets before May 31! Don't miss out on this early bird sale, get your tickets now!**

August 7-8, 2026
Atlanta, Georgia - Loews Atlanta Hotel
Scholars Day

What is Scholar's Day?

Scholar's Day is NSHSS's signature event! Over the years, NSHSS has hosted thousands of members, families, partners, and friends at Scholar's Day events in Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, GA. The first Scholar's Day was held in the US Senate🏛️ in 2004! Senator Ted Kennedy sponsored NSHSS for the event to be held in the historic caucus room. As NSHSS grew, more and more members wanted to attend, and we outgrew the caucus room and eventually the largest room in the Senate! Scholar's Day moved to be hosted at Georgetown University, George Washington University, and then the Gaylord National Resort as it continued to grow in size. Scholar's Day was hosted at the prestigious Johns Hopkins University last year and is now returning to Atlanta, GA, in the beautiful Loews Atlanta Hotel! 

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Solo Member 1 Portrait
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Solo Member 1 Portrait
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Exhibitor Convo 3
Member Family 2 Landscape
Carlos Speaks
Social Media Takeovers Portrait

Why Should Members & Parents Attend Scholar's Day?

Consider all of these great take aways from participating in the Scholar's Day experience as an NSHSS Member or a Proud Parent!

Members & parents alike will meet and network with your peers in the larger NSHSS community.

Practice making a memorable impression whether you are engaging with industry and education professionals at the College and Career Fair or meeting some of your fellow NSHSS members!

Speak with current professionals about the ever-changing workforce landscape awaiting your Scholar. Have your questions answered so you can best support your high-performing Scholar.

Participate in the audience for a live recording of the "NSHSS Scholars Connect Podcast!" 

Podcast Topic: "The Art of the Pivot"

In an era of rapid technological change, the most successful leaders aren’t the ones with all the answers—they are the ones who know how to pivot and who they can turn to when the path gets blurry. 

Bring a copy of your resume and/or college essays to be reviewed by educators for feedback and guidance.

Engage with fellow Proud Parents around holistically supporting your high-performing Scholars, navigating opportunities, and supporting their aspirations.

Members, have your academic achievements recognized and celebrated on the main stage during the signature NSHSS Member Recognition Ceremony!  Proud Parents, cheer on your Scholar from the audience for memorable photo opportunities!

Scholar's Day Agenda

Scan your tickets and build your name badges! 

Meet and explore opportunities alongside corporate, educational, and government leaders representing renowned organizations and universities worldwide

Enjoy light hors d’oeuvres, entertainment, and networking with other NSHSS members, families, and educators 

Scholar’s Day will kick off with welcome messages from our NSHSS Emcees and NSHSS President and Co-Founder, Mr. James Lewis, followed by event announcements, a featured session from CollegeAdvisor.com, and some high-energy performances! More kick-off engagement to be announced!

Discover several experiences throughout the event space where members can have their resumes and college essays reviewed, play games to win prizes, and more! Check back soon for additional details!

Join your fellow NSHSS members for a casual welcome gathering featuring a DJ and games. Enjoy light refreshments, and take a moment to make some new connections!

Following the conference kick-off, students can dance the night away at their member party, while parents are invited to get to know one another through fun meet-and-greet activities and discussion to learn how they can better support their students during this parent-only session!

Registration reopens for any Saturday arrivals to pick up their name badges! Event attendees are also welcome to stop by for any questions about NSHSS!

Wake up with coffee and a continental breakfast and network with other NSHSS families and CCF exhibitors!

Meet and explore opportunities with corporate, educational, and government leaders from renowned organizations and universities from around the globe. 

Our emcee will welcome attendees back for day 2 of Scholar's Day with some opening remarks and announcements.

Highly esteemed professionals will share advice and experiences from their personal lives and professional careers about how they view fulfillment and what they have done to achieve it

Multiple workshop offerings will be hosted by NSHSS partners. Attendees will have the option to choose between educational workshops based on their interests.

Discover several experiences throughout the event space where members can have their resumes and college essays reviewed, play games to win prizes, and more! Check back soon for additional details!

NSHSS partners will host a second round of workshop offerings. Attendees will be able to choose between educational workshops based on their interests.  

More time to discover several experiences throughout the event space where members can have their resumes and college essays reviewed, play games to win prizes, and more! Check back soon for additional details!

Enjoy lunch at Colony Square Food Hall or a variety of nearby local restaurants, and take the opportunity to relax and connect. During the break, attendees can also visit the College & Career Fair to explore resources and opportunities to support their academic and career goals.

Welcome back with a high-energy performance + a presentation from the U.S. Army ROTC program to inform, inspire, and empower NSHSS Scholars! More detailed descriptions to be posted in the coming months!

Event participants will hear from NSHSS Scholarship Winners as they share tips on standing out in the application process and finding scholarships that fit their goals. The session will also feature a live Q&A.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital celebrates the achievements of NSHSS members and shares how innovation, compassion, and service can transform lives. St. Jude spoke about how together, we can build a brighter future one discovery, one act of kindness, and one dream at a time.

We'll recognize our 2026 Claes Nobel World Betterment Award Recipient! Scholarships, Educator Grants, and the 2026 NSHSS Educator of the Year will also be presented!

All members are invited on stage to receive an NSHSS honor medallion to celebrate their academic achievements!

Featured Scholar's Day Performers!

  • GT Dragon Flyers

*Additional performers to be added. Check back often for updates!

College & Career Fair Exhibitors

  • St. Jude Children's Research Hospital/ALSAC
  • CollegeAdvisor. com
  • U.S. Army ROTC
  • Liberty University
  • Regent University
  • National Student Leadership Conference (NSLC)
  • Emory University Pre-College Program
  • and more to be announced!
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Hotel & Parking

NSHSS has secured a discounted room block at the Loews Midtown Atlanta Hotel, the event venue.

Self-Parking is available on-site at the hotel for a discounted rate of $15 per day. Valet parking is also available for an additional fee. 

 

*A limited number of rooms are available; first-come, first-served. Please register for the event before booking any travel or accommodations. Attendees are responsible for their own accommodations and for getting to and from the event location. NSHSS does not assist with parking, airfare, or hotels.
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Terry Granger 9V1q3dhnrou Unsplash
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Thank you to our event sponsors!

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Volunteering at Scholar's Day

At NSHSS, we believe in the power of action and the positive impact we can make together. How about volunteering during our events? 

In addition to earning volunteer service hours, volunteering at our events will help you gain valuable skills, such as teamwork, leadership, and organization. These skills will be useful in your academic and professional life, allowing you to excel and develop further.

Don't miss the opportunity to make a real difference and be part of the change. Join us as a volunteer during Scholar's Day and be an agent of transformation at NSHSS. A link to the volunteer interest form will be included in your registration confirmation email!

Scholar's Day FAQs

Scholar's Day is NSHSS's signature event. Over the years, NSHSS has hosted thousands of members, families, partners, and friends at Scholar's Day events in Washington, D.C. and Atlanta, GA. Fun fact: the first Scholar's Day was held in the US Senate! 🏛️

 

Each attendee is responsible for their own accommodations and transportation arrangements. NSHSS does not assist with airfare or hotels; however, we do provide a discounted hotel room block. See details above.

NSHSS will provide light hors d'oeuvres during the Friday evening reception and breakfast on Saturday morning. Be sure to plan to provide your own meals otherwise. There are plenty of excellent restaurants surrounding the venue! NSHSS will share info about nearby eateries onsite.

Yes! To be admitted to Scholar's Day, each member, parent, or guest must purchase a ticket via Eventbrite in order to attend.

Scholar's Day tickets are only sold as a 2-day ticket package, but it is not mandatory to attend both days. Most of the programming, educational sessions, and the Member Recognition Ceremony will be on Saturday though, so you won't miss it! Registration will be open Saturday morning as well for those that do not wish to/cannot attend on Friday. Saturday, we will also be serving a complimentary breakfast and you will have access to the College & Career Fair! 

If you are no longer able to attend, you can transfer your registration to another event via your Eventbrite account until the day before the event date. On the day of the event and beyond, registration transfers are no longer allowed in the Eventbrite system, and transferring to another event will no longer be an option.


Up to 15 days before the event starts, attendees can request automatic refunds in full back to their original payment method directly through their Eventbrite account.


Refunds to the original payment method will be issued in full for refund requests received up to 15 days before the event starts. After submitting your refund request in writing by email to rsvp@nshss.org, please allow up to five (5) business days to process your refund request. After 14 days before the event starts, no refunds will be issued. All further sales are non-refundable.


This event will take place rain or shine. If the event is rescheduled, all purchases will be honored for the rescheduled event date or may be refunded on a case-by-case basis. If the event is canceled, all purchases will be refunded in full.

Interested in exhibiting at Scholar's Day?

Exhibitor information/FAQ:

Exhibitor Agenda: Friday, August 7, 2026

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM: Exhibitor Set-up

3:00 PM - 6:00 PM: College & Career Fair Open

6:00 PM - 7:00 PM: Exhibitor Close-out (please close tables and take any valuable items or see and NSHSS staff member to have items locked away until Saturday)

Exhibitor Agenda: Saturday, August 8, 2026

7:15 AM - 8:00 PM: Storage Room open with NSHSS staff member to retrieve exhibitor items

8:00 AM - 2:00 PM: College & Career Fair Open

Level C, Floor 14

Main Stage (exhibitors who are also speaking will present here): Ellington Ballroom (Level C, Floor 14)

Exhibitor Space: Ellington Ballroom Pre-Function & Terrace (adjacent hallway)

All exhibitors can use the room block listed above; we do not have separate room blocks for exhibitors. 

For shipping, we ask that packages arrive no sooner than August 2, 2026
Please have all packages addressed the following way:

Loews Atlanta Hotel

Attn: Hanna Bates

1065 Peachtree Street NE    

Atlanta, GA 30309

Hold for: NSHSS Scholars Day

Loews Atlanta Parking Instructions:

Both self and valet parking are available. We typically encourage self-parking if guests are able. While we have staff prepared and ready for arrivals and departures, it is a faster process for guests to get into and out of the hotel if they self-park.

Self-Parking Instructions:

For those self-parking, Enter Parking Garage on 11th street between Peachtree & Juniper and take parking ticket at gate. Proceed up the ramp towards Office & Hotel Parking. Proceed to level P6 or Higher. Follow Signs to LOEWS HOTEL for elevator entrance to the hotel.

Go up to level “C” and once you get off the elevators, you will find directional signage labeled with the event name that will lead you to the correct function space.

Self Parking Costs: $18 Per Vehicle, Per Day

All outstanding exhibitor fees will need to be paid before the event. Failure to complete payment may result in removal from the exhibit hall. 

  • List of registrant information who have opted in to share
  • Table
  • 2 chairs
  • shared waste basket

We require pre-registration for our exhibit hall. If you arrive without registering, we may not have a booth available.