Seven Students Win Washington DC Trips

During the evening hours of Thursday, Dec. 6, nervous high school juniors filled the lobby of the Holiday Day Inn Express in Guymon. The juniors were invited to interview for Tri-County Electric Cooperative’s youth trips. After an evening of interviews, the cooperative awarded seven students with trips. Three students are going to Washington, D.C. Youth, two to Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp in Steamboat Springs, Colo., and two to Co-op Student Leadership Summit in Oklahoma City, Okla.

“We are proud to support students eager to improve their leadership skills,” Erin Moore, member relations specialist, 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 and the cooperative received a record number of applications, setting the stage for a night of competition. 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. Three judges were brought in from other cooperatives from Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma who were 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 14-20, 2013

o Alexander Zakrzewicz of Guymon

o Jordan McFarland of Hooker

o Alondra Bustamante of Beaver

· Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp, Steamboat Springs, Colo. July 13-19, 2013

o Skylar Behne of Guymon

o Ramee Aranda of rural Keyes

· Co-op Student Leadership Summit, Oklahoma City, Okla. January 19, 2013

o Trae Pugh of Beaver

o Kaitlyn King of Forgan