On Monday, June 17, four high school students set out for Washington, D.C., to represent REC on the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Youth Tour. During this weeklong experience, they learned about the power of electric cooperatives, met with elected officials, sharpened their leadership skills and connected with more than 1,600 peers from across the country.
REC’s four Youth Tour representatives -- Mason Hillyard of Winchester; Noelle Whalen of Berryville; Josiah Adams of Culpeper County; and Jackson Hunley of Fredericksburg—made the most of their experience.
“Youth Tour provided us a unique way to experience our nation’s capital, allowing us to see democracy in action,” Jackson said. “Getting to connect with and see all of the students from across the country travel to D.C. was inspiring and makes me confident in seeing the strong, robust next generation of leaders.”
The students enjoyed a dinner riverboat cruise on the first night. Throughout the week, they toured Arlington National Cemetery, the memorials along the National Mall, and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. They also attended a baseball game at Nationals Park and got to tour the Capitol building before meeting with Sen. Mark Warner.
The students said they enjoyed getting to see the monuments and memorials up close. Josiah liked drawing them during their visits. While at the National Mall, Noelle found her great uncle’s name at the Korean War Memorial.
“There were a lot of names on the memorial, so I was excited when I found his name,” she said. “It made me reflect on my mom and her family and what they experienced when it first happened.”
While making memories and connecting with new friends, the group learned a lot about their national government, the cooperative business model and how to become future leaders.
“Youth Tour gave me an opportunity to grow,” reflected Mason. “I learned a lot about leadership and how I can harness that skill to help my community and those around me.”
Jackson was even selected as the Youth Leadership Council representative for the Virginia, Maryland and Delaware Association.
As a leadership council representative, Jackson will get the opportunity to connect with 44 student representatives from other states following Youth Tour, including at National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s Annual Meeting in March. The leadership council provides a networking opportunity, aimed at building leadership and public-speaking skills and enhancing the students’ knowledge of the energy industry and cooperative business model.
Interested in apply for 2025’s Youth Tour? Open to rising high school seniors in REC’s service area, applications for the 2025 Youth Tour are open and can be found at https://myrec.coop/youthtour.
