MONROE, Ga. – Hitting the books a little harder earned four local students a trip to Washington, D.C. Jenny Choi of Snellville, Alexandra Marlette of Lilburn, Alyssa Forrest of Loganville and Devneet Singh of Duluth won a spot on Walton Electric Membership Corporation's (EMC) Washington Youth Tour.

With over fifty students applying, these eight students rose to the top by scoring highest on the written test covering basic electricity, cooperatives, energy and electrical safety. Each candidate then proceeded to an interview session where judges selected the top four as delegates for the trip.

These local students were recent finalists in Walton EMC's Washington Youth Tour Contest. Pictured are, front row, left to right, Jenny Choi, Devneet Singh and Lillian Wang. Second row, John Golden, Alyssa Forrest, Susannah Couch and Kusona Fortingo. Third row, Alexandra Marlett

Choi, a junior at Brookwood High School, Marlette, a junior at Parkview High School, Forrest, a homeschooled junior and Devneet, a sophomore at Gwinnett School of Math, Science and Technology will join students from EMCs across the state in Atlanta to kickoff the tour this June.

Delegates spend the week participating in leadership exercises, touring Washington D.C. and making memories that will last a lifetime. Students spend a day on Capitol Hill meeting with Georgia's Congressional Delegation and participating in a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Other highlights include a visit to all of the Washington monuments, the Smithsonian and the White House. Students also have the opportunity to meet with other delegates from cooperatives across the nation.

All high school sophomores and juniors who live or go to school in Walton EMC's service area are eligible to apply for the Washington Youth Tour. Applications for next year's tour will be available at waltonemc.com in January 2016.

Walton EMC provides electric service to 123,000 residential and business accounts in a 10-county area between Atlanta and Athens. Because its customers own the company, service — not profit — is Walton EMC's primary focus.