Rappahannock Electric Cooperative (REC) selects students from its service territory each year to travel to Washington, D.C., to explore key issues in the electric industry, study the cooperative business model, interact with students in leadership-building programs, tour historical and cultural sites, meet their members of Congress and attend a show at the Kennedy Center.
In June, these young adults joined more than 1,800 high school students from across the country for the annual National Rural Electric Cooperative Youth Tour.
REC’s Youth Tour students were selected as the best representatives from a diverse group of applicants. Together with chaperones from REC, they spent a week touring Washington and learning how critical it is to become involved in the legislative process and in their local communities.
Kaylan Campbell of Madison County enjoyed not only meeting peers from across the country, but also learning about electric cooperatives such as REC.
"I learned that they do more than provide electricity," Kaylan said. "They want to be engaged in the community, and I got the bigger picture that all the cooperatives work together to take care of the whole country."
Congratulations to this year's Youth Tour participants:
- Kaylan Campbell from Madison County High School.
- Jose Cerritos Martinez from Culpeper County High School.
- Nicholas Coates from Madison County High School.
- Joseph Flynn from William Monroe High School.
- Tommy Garloch from Fredericksburg Christian School.
- Cindy Gonzalez, William Monroe.
- Nick Goudea from Culpeper County High School.
- Jerry Morris from William Monroe.
- Kevin Wang from William Monroe.
- Henry Wood from Rappahannock County High School.
