Walton EMC Sending Local Students to Washington, DC for 60th Time

Walton Electric Membership Corporation (EMC) is rewarding four local high school students for diligent study and interviewing effectiveness with an all-expenses-paid leadership experience in Washington, DC this June.

Matthew Bovenkerk of Walnut Grove High, Hailey Mott of Loganville High, and Rahul Mohanty and Vy Nguyen of North Oconee High earned their spot on the Washington Youth Tour after scoring highest on a written test and interview competition held recently at Walton EMC’s headquarters. The test covered topics including cooperatives, the electric utility industry and EMC history.

The eight students who score highest on the test are then invited to interview with a panel of judges who gauge the contestants’ interpersonal skills and motivation in applying for the honor.

Winners from across Georgia will meet first in Atlanta where they’ll get to know each other, participate in personal development training and meet with state lawmakers. A tour of the Little White House, President Roosevelt’s southern home and birthplace of rural electrification, is also included.

The next stop is Washington, DC to join with winners from across the nation. Once in the nation’s capital, delegates will see how the federal government works, meet with national lawmakers and tour historically significant sites among other activities.

The tour began in the 1960s when then-Senator Lyndon B. Johnson encouraged electric cooperatives to send “youngsters to the national capital where they can actually see what the flag stands for and represents.”

The 2024 tour is the 60th time Walton EMC has sent students on the tour. Applications for the tour are accepted from high school sophomores and juniors who live or go to school within the cooperative’s service territory. Watch Walton EMC’s newsletter and website beginning next January for 2025 tour information.


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