McMinnville – Four students from Caney Fork Electric Cooperative experienced a trip of a lifetime serving as delegates on the 2025 Washington Youth Tour. Cameron Stanley of DeKalb County High School, Geneva Hehr of White County High School, Kaitlyn Maria Roberts of Van Buren County High School, and Amelia (Mia) Marie Watkins of Warren County High School were among 132 students from across Tennessee who attended the weeklong trip in June. Stanley came away winning 2nd place in the statewide competition earning him a $2000.00 scholarship.
“I was so shocked when I won second place,” said Stanley. “Now, I cannot imagine my life not going on this incredible trip! I am so very thankful to have met all the wonderful people I did all because of writing a short story!”
This year participants took a mansion tour of Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, the Smithsonian museums, the International Spy Museum, the Washington National Cathedral, the Holocaust Memorial Museum, Ford’s Theatre and guided tours of various memorials around the city. Delegates were also able to tour the capitol and meet representatives from Tennessee who advocate for electric co-ops and their communities. Other highlights included visiting the National Zoo, riding a boat cruise, viewing the musical “Les Misérables”, watching the changing of the guard followed by the wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and participating in the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s Youth Day at Gaylord National Resort.
"The Washington Youth Tour is more than a trip — it's a launching pad for future leaders,” said BJ Bernard, vice president of member services for the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association and tour director. “Each year, we watch Tennessee’s brightest students gain confidence, build lasting connections and return home inspired to make a difference in their communities, and I got to experience that firsthand this year. This experience, made possible by our electric co-ops, empowers these young people to realize their potential and see the value of service and civic engagement."
Delegates are selected through the Electric Cooperatives Creative Writing and Scholarship Competition. Students had to write a 900-word short story explaining how co-ops are “Energizing Every Moment” by supplying Tennessee communities with energy, education, broadband, economic development and more. From that essay, they are then selected for numerous scholarship opportunities, including ones with partner schools, Carson-Newman University and Union University.
The Washington Youth Tour began in the late 1950s. President Lyndon B. Johnson inspired the trip and since then, more than 6,000 students from Tennessee have participated in this fast-paced leadership opportunity. TECA and the member-owned electric cooperatives across the state are proud to sponsor this unique learning experience and help shape the next generation of informed, engaged citizens.
The Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association provides leadership, advocacy and support for Tennessee’s 23 electric cooperatives and publishes The Tennessee Magazine, the state’s most widely circulated monthly periodical. Visit tnelectric.org or tnmagazine.org to learn more.
