5 Students Win Electric Cooperative Trips

Eleven high school juniors were interviewed for their chance to win a free trip to Washington, D.C. during the evening hours of Tuesday, Dec. 10. The juniors were invited to interview for Tri-County Electric Cooperative’s youth trips. After an evening of interviews, the cooperative awarded five students with trips. Three students were selected for the Washington, D.C. Youth Tour and two were selected for Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp in Steamboat Springs, Colo.

“We are pleased to offer students leadership development opportunities,” Erin Moore, member solutions coordinator, said. “They are the cornerstone of our communities and future cooperative members. We feel it is important to support them through these trips. It’s the cooperative difference.”

Only juniors in high school were invited to apply for the trips this fall, with the selection process completed through an in-person interview. Students were interviewed about their cooperative knowledge, their ability to communicate their ideas effectively, as well as their written application and resume. The cooperative was looking for students who emulate Touchstone Energy’s four cooperative principles: accountability, integrity, innovation, and commitment to community. Two judges were brought in from another cooperative in Kansas and tasked with interviewing the pool of applicants and selecting the winners.

At the end of the evening the following students were awarded trips:
• Washington. D.C. Youth Tour, June 13-19, 2014
o Rayna Wall of Hooker
o Shalyn Farrington of Beaver
o Vanessa Wiebe of Hooker
• Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp, Steamboat Springs, Colo. July 12-18, 2014
o Arthur Schwab of Forgan
o Nicole Welch of Beaver

To learn more about Tri-County Electric’s support of area youth, visit www.tcec.coop.