Maggie Brull, who will be a high school senior this fall at TMP, has been selected as the Kansas Youth Spokesperson for the Kansas Electric Cooperatives (KEC).
Brull will give a speech to approximately 250 electric cooperative board members, managers, and key staff at the KEC Summer Meeting in Overland Park on Aug. 2.
Brull was selected for this honor through her participation in the Kansas Electric Youth (KEY) Leadership Conference. She was sponsored for this exclusive virtual program by Western Cooperative Electric.
“I thought it would be a great leadership opportunity to represent the students who were selected for the KEY Leadership Conference,” Brull said. “This conference has taught me that people come from a lot of different places in life, and co-ops serve everyone no matter what your place in life is. It is nice to know that you have this giant community of people who are there for you.”
The weeklong conference focused on different aspects of leadership and included sessions about the cooperative business model and the cooperative principles, a session on advocacy that included a review of the Co-ops Vote program and how students can make their voices heard, a reputation management workshop, and tips to prepare for the transition between high school and higher education.
The speaker lineup featured a discussion with Sen. Jerry Moran, who visited with the students and answered their questions on topics ranging from foreign grain exports, death tax on inherited land, the pandemic, climate change, and support for military families. Other speaker highlights included an inspiring message from the reality television program Survivor’s Holly Hoffman, and a presentation titled Wolves Can’t Fly from the Kansas City Chiefs mascot Dan Meers.
“I want to thank Western and the other Kansas electric cooperatives for supporting the youth and helping us learn so much,” Brull said. “I wish more companies would be able to offer this type of opportunity so that students can learn about their history and how they affect our communities.