COEUR d'ALENE - Mason Magee is only 16, but he has already rubbed elbows with senators, schmoozed with Harvard students and carved out his career path.

These opportunities occurred on Mason's journey to earn the Congressional Award Gold Medal, the highest honor Congress awards to youths who complete challenging goals that include personal development, voluntary public service, physical fitness and at least one expedition.

"It's kind of like being an Eagle Scout," Mason said Friday morning. "Once you get the Eagle Scout, then you're the highest rank. It's a lot more weight."

Mason, an incoming Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy junior, was one of the youngest of the 267 youths from across the country who qualified for the gold award. Participants have until the age of 24 to complete the program.

He and his mom, Fondra, traveled to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., for the ceremony in June, where Idaho Sen. Jim Risch placed the red, white and blue ribbon around his neck, complete with the dangling gold medal.

"I cried," Fondra said with a proud smile. "It was so surreal."

Mason has been working on his Congressional Award honors since he was eligible to enter the program at the age of 13 and a half. He has volunteered more than 400 hours in the community, especially at Kootenai Health, where he has discovered and cultivated his passion for the medical field. He wants to be an anaesthesiologist and enjoys observing what goes on in the operating rooms before and after surgeries.

"That's the cool thing about working in that department; I got to meet a lot of different anaesthesiologists and surgeons and stuff," he said. "I got to meet a lot of cool people just because of how long I've worked there."

Mason organized itineraries for trips, served as group leader on a high school jazz band trip, he has been active in track and field and basketball, performed in musical performances playing the trombone, piano or ukulele and he even learned how to swing dance while working toward the gold, logging his hours the whole time.

"It helped me keep track of the stuff I've done and look back over what I've done and kind of be proud about it," he said. "I learned organizational skills, I learned about how to plan trips or how to get involved in certain groups like the hospital and taking initiative to do stuff."

The Congressional Award program helps students with scholarships and acceptance into higher education institutions. Mason said he really enjoyed connecting with other award recipients in D.C. and felt inspired by their experiences.

"They asked me where I went to college and I'm like, 'I'm not in college yet,'" he said with a grin. "They were all really highly respected people. One of the kids is going to Harvard to finish his law degree. He just gave me his card and was like, 'Hey, if you ever need anything.' It's a bunch of cool stuff like that; it just gave me encouragement of what I could do college-wise because of all of these brilliant people who have gone through the program.

"It's not hard to get involved, I mean, just sign up online, send them 20 bucks or something," he continued. "It's worth a lot more when it comes to college."

Info: www.congressionalaward.org