Area students traveling to Washington D.C. in June

FARMINGTON, Minn. (April 7, 2022) — Five local high school students were recently selected to receive an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., sponsored by Dakota Electric Association. The winners are Cloe Bechard, Eagan High School; Taryn Hillerud, Eagan High School; Madysen Leick, Eastview High School; Meti Negewo, Rosemount High School; and Sarah Rauf, Lakeville North High School. The students will participate in the National Rural Electric Association’s (NRECA) annual Washington, D.C. Youth Tour, scheduled for June 14-19. Joan Bromberek, Hastings High School, was selected as an alternate.

Each June, more than 1,800 high school students from around the United States travel to Washington, D.C. for the NRECA Youth Tour. The participants are selected and sponsored by their local electric cooperatives, and during the week, they learn about government and electric cooperatives. The students will have the opportunity to tour many of Washington, D.C.’s sites, including the Smithsonian, the U.S. Capitol and the Vietnam Memorial, and they also have a chance to meet their elected officials.

“Dakota Electric is proud to sponsor local students to attend an event like the Washington, D.C. Youth Tour,” President and CEO Greg Miller said. “At this Youth Tour, some of the nation’s brightest students gather together to have fun and learn about our government.”

A panel of judges selected students after reviewing the student applications and interviewing them.

“We have a lot of quality students in our area and our judges always have a hard time narrowing it down to just five to go on the trip,” Peggy Johnson, Dakota Electric’s community relations director, said. “We thank all the students for applying.”

Each January, Dakota Electric makes applications available for high school sophomores, juniors and seniors to apply for the Youth Tour program. Students wanting more information can visit www.dakotaelectric.com, then select community and education programs.