Abby Kirkland from Crowell High School and Lauren Akin from Frederick High School are back home from the 2022 Government-in-Action Youth Tour, and the experience is surely one they will never forget. The week-long trip, sponsored by Southwest Rural Electric, took the local students on a whirlwind adventure from their state capitals to Washington, D.C., which former Youth Tour participants deem “the trip of a lifetime.”

Kirkland joined 122 peers from all over Texas and Akin traveled with 58 other Oklahoma students for a guided, all-expenses-paid tour of the nation’s capital. The Youth Tour trip itinerary would make a seasoned tourist envious. Students explored monuments and museums, including Mount Vernon; the Smithsonian Institution; the Holocaust Memorial Museum; and the Lincoln, Jefferson and Vietnam Veterans memorials, among others. They also took a cruise on the Potomac River and joined more than 1,900 other teens from across the country for a day of inspiring speakers and learning about the role of electric cooperatives.

The Texas and Oklahoma delegates spent time at Arlington National Cemetery and attended a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. They even had the opportunity to meet their elected representatives on Capitol Hill.

After a week of sightseeing and education in Washington, Kirkland and Akin returned home with a new appreciation for our veterans, government and their local electric cooperative.

Annually, SWRE sponsors two high school juniors in the co-op service territory to attend Youth Tour. Applications open in the fall. Visit SWRE.com/YouthTour or call the SWRE Marketing Department at 1-800-256-7973 to learn more!