In 1957, Senator and future President Lyndon B. Johnson, challenged members of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) to send students to “the national capital where they can actually see what the flag stands for and represents.” This challenge resulted in the Washington Youth Tour. Cooperatives from all over the nation began to send rising seniors for a week-long journey through D.C.

This year Santee Electric Cooperative sponsored three students from our service area. Ta’Zyria Grant from Andrews High School, Isaiah Galloway of Hannah Pamplico High School and Blakely Brandon of Williamsburg Academy represented SEC June 15th-20th.

These students visited many sights in our nation’s capital, including, Arlington Cemetery, the Vietnam Memorial, the MLK Memorial and many more. Museums were also a must on this educational adventure. The students visited the National Museum of Health and Medicine, the Newseum, National Museum of the Marine Corps and many of the Smithsonian museums, including the new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.   

In addition to the regular tourist hot spots in D.C., the students were also given the opportunity to meet congressmen and receive private tours of the Capitol. Senators Scott and Graham met with the group on the steps of the Capitol for a question and answer session, as well as, a few photos.

While the sights and tours are important, the experience of meeting new people and spending time together is what stays with the students most. Ta’Zyria Grant stated, “My favorite part about the experience was making new friends that I will always keep in contact with! I never thought that these new people would greatly impact my life. They showed me that it’s okay to go out and meet new people, no matter how different they may look from you.”

Because the Washington Youth Tour is such a great opportunity for the rising seniors who are chosen to attend, the South Carolina Electric Cooperatives created another opportunity for SC students. The SC Youth Summit now takes place during the month of July. Santee Electric sent two students to this state trip July 9th-12th.

Julia Cribb of Williamsburg Academy was chosen to represent the co-op in Columbia. The students on this trip visited the Statehouse, debated a bill, learned about co-ops and participated in a service project. Check out next month’s issue of SC Living for more information on their experience.

Santee Electric will begin accepting applications for the 2020 youth tour and summit in the fall. Blakely Brandon exclaimed, “I would most definitely recommend this trip to everyone. I wish everyone could go.” Applications can be found at santee.org.