By Rachel Auberger
Sydney Wilson, a rising senior at White County High School, recently traveled to Washington D. C. as part of the Rural Electric Youth Tour after winning an essay contest hosted by Caney Fork Electric Cooperative.
The Rural Electric Youth Tour is an annual event coordinated by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association. The tour is sponsored by local electric systems around the state as they provide an all-expense paid week for students who will be seniors in the upcoming school year.
Wilson was chosen as a representative by the Caney Fork Electric Cooperative when her essay about how electric cooperatives impact a local community was selected as a winner.
“I was kind of surprised when they said I won,” Wilson said. “I didn’t think my essay was anything special or amazing.”
Wilson was a part of 190 upcoming seniors who were chosen from across the state of Tennessee to participate in the week-long event in June. They joined students from 43 other states as a total of 1,500 high schoolers converged on the nation’s capital to visit historic sights and see their government in action.
Wilson talked about seeing the monuments and memorials and visiting the museums, one of the most impactful of which was the Holocaust Museum.
“It was really hard to take all of that in,” she said. “It was difficult to fathom that people did this while other people stood by and let it happen. It was a real reminder that standing up for something is the real way to make a difference, the way to be heard.”
The tour also took the group to visit Arlington National Cemetery where they observed the Changing of the Guard, and a Tennessee Cooperative was part of a “Laying of the Wreath” ceremony. Additionally, they visited Ford’s Theatre and Mt. Vernon.
“It was very surreal,” Wilson said of visiting significant historic landmarks. “It made me stop and think. Those things we grow up hearing about, studying in school, they aren’t just a story. Those things really happened, and those people were right here.”
In addition to visiting national landmarks and museums, students were encouraged, through a series of presentations and guest speakers, to make an impact on their communities.
“They really stressed to us the fact that even though we may be from a small town, we can still do something big with our lives and have an impact on the future of our community and even our country,” Wilson explained.
Students with the Youth Tour were also taken to the Capitol Building and given an opportunity to talk with their state representatives.
“John Rose really said some things that made me think about my future,” Wilson said as she explained that he talked about how he never dreamed of being where he is now, but how being from a small town means he can bring more relatable topics to the table.
She said that she truly believes he relates with rural America and knows the needs of the communities here in Tennessee.
“It made me rethink what I want to do with my life,” Wilson said. “I don’t know that politics is what I want to do, but it has definitely opened my eyes to another option. What I do know is that I want to make a difference, and this week made me realize that that is not so far out of reach. Even coming from a small town, I can have a big impact on the future.”
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