From Saturday, June 11, to Thursday, June 16, four local high school seniors attended the Tri-County Youth Tour, sponsored by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). In attendance were the following seniors: Faith Demott, of Jefferson County; Stephanie English, of Jefferson County; John Flournoy, of Madison County; and Sarah Kauffman, of Madison County. These students went through a multi-step selection process that included and essay submission, evaluation, trip to the Florida capital and an interview. Through this process, applicants were slowly winnowed down until these four had been chosen from a larger group. Once selected, Demott, English, Flournoy and Kauffman joined approximately 1,500 other high-schoolers in our nation's capital: Washington, D.C. This six day program, which included seminars on leadership, motivational speakers and a tour of Washington, D.C., served to celebrate the accomplishments of young people in attendance and encourage them to cultivate their leadership qualities.
Demott enjoyed making new friends from all over the country, but said that standing at the Lincoln Memorial, where Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his, "I Have a Dream" speech, was the most memorable aspect of the trip. Similarly, English loved the opportunity to meet like-minded people from across the state. She, however, found the cruise that was taken along the Potomac to be one of the most memorable moments of the trip, in addition to visiting all of the historical monuments that Washington, D.C. has to offer. Like Demott and English, Kauffman made many new friendships during the experience, and she found viewing the House of Representatives from the gallery incredibly memorable. “It was amazing knowing how many influential and remarkable decisions were made for our country on that very room,” said Kauffman. Flournoy left D.C. feeling inspired by the presentation given by motivational speaker, Mike Schlappi. Schlappi spoke from personal experience on overcoming adversity, as he was seriously injured in a gun accident which had left him crippled for life. However, Schlappi has gone on to become a Gold Medalist for wheelchair basketball. Flournoy was also moved by observing the Changing of the Guard at Arlington Cemetery while in Washington, D.C. “Thank you to Tri-County Electric for a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Flournoy, as the other students nodded in agreement.
If you would like more information regarding this rewarding program, please contact Kaitlynn Culpepper at (850) 973-8036 or kculpepper@tcec.com. Applications for the 2017 Youth Tour will be available in October 2016 on Tri-County Electric Cooperative’s website, www.tcec.com and with guidance counselors at Madison County High School, Taylor County High School, James Madison Preparatory High School, Aucilla Christian Academy and Jefferson County High School.