After a three-year hiatus, Western Cooperative Electric proudly resumes the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour to Washington, D.C., for high school juniors June 15-22. This year's winners are Austin Carroll, Ellis High School, and Jaiden Pfannenstiel, Hays High School.
Carroll and Pfannenstiel will be traveling to Washington, D.C., with 24 other students from Kansas and four from Hawaii. This summer, they will join 33 states in bringing more than 1,300 students to the nation's capital.
The Electric Cooperative Youth Tour is a program offered by co-ops nationwide to high school students from their co-op membership. Participants receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the nation's capital and learn about the nation's history with visits to the Arlington National Cemetery, the U.S. Capitol, and the Smithsonian Museums. In addition, students not only meet with other participants their age from across the nation, but they also get the opportunity to discuss current issues with Congressional representatives and senators.
"The students selected for our youth programs are leaders inside and outside the classroom," said Nolan Numrich, Western's assistant general manager/member services manager. "We know this trip will provide valuable, life-long experiences for these students and help equip them to become community leaders in the future."
Students who applied for Western's 2023 youth programs and scholarships were judged based on a short essay, a quiz on electric cooperatives, and a virtual interview with a three-judge panel. The four students with the highest scores were awarded $1,000 Cooperative Youth Leadership scholarships and a choice of youth trips. The student with the fifth most points was awarded the Darrell Brown Memorial Scholarship and the choice to serve as the trip alternate. If a scheduling conflict existed, the student with the next highest point total was offered the trip as an alternate. Contest details for the 2024 Youth Contest will be released in December 2023. If you have any questions, please contact nolann@westerncoop.com.
Western Cooperative Electric Association is a member-owned cooperative headquartered in WaKeeney, Kansas. Established in 1945, Western now serves more than 12,000 meters and maintains over 4,000 miles of power lines across western and central Kansas. Together, with our members' help, Western Co-op is committed to building a stronger rural America. For more information about Western, visit www.westerncoop.com.