The three components of the Cooperative Youth Leaders program are Learn, Grow, and Experience. Eighty-five rising high school seniors from across Mississippi traveled to Washington, DC, in June to experience all facets of their nation’s capital city.

Five of those students were from Lincoln and Pike County schools: Emme Barrett, Brookhaven Academy; Da’Mya Edwards, Brookhaven High School; Trent Owens, Brookhaven High School; Ariyanna Simmons, North Pike High School; and Ann Elise Gatlin, Parklane Academy.

They visited for a full week along with nearly 1,700 student leaders from 44 states for the 2024 National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s Youth Tour.

The trip was the culmination of the students’ participation in the Electric Cooperative of Mississippi’s leadership program, which instills leadership skills, inspires creative thinking, builds confidence in decision-making, and introduces students to lawmakers that represent their communities.

During a March workshop in Jackson, which is the “Grow” component of the program, the students had the opportunity to meet and hear from state legislators. During the trip to Washington, the students met and spoke with their US senators — Cindy Hyde-Smith, of Brookhaven, and Roger Wicker.

While in DC, the students and adult chaperones visited historic sites, monuments, museums, and had an opportunity to learn about the impact electric cooperatives have on their communities.

The students also had an opportunity to tour the US Capitol, sit on the floor of the House of Representatives, and visit the Library of Congress as guests of former US Congressman Gregg Harper of Mississippi.

They attended a Washington Nationals pro baseball game, and had dinner during an evening cruise on the Potomac River.

The students were chosen in the fall of their junior year of high school through their local Cooperative University and interviews, where they learned (the “Learn” component) about their electric cooperative and the electric power industry.

The Cooperative Youth Leaders program is fully funded, including the trip to DC, by the local electric co-ops as a commitment to molding future leaders for Mississippi, so they can impact the state and local communities.