By Kay Parks | JEFFERSON, Ga. — Just returning from a leadership trip to the nation’s capitol, local students Emily Bauer, Brookwood High School; Kristen Gomez, Mill Creek High School; Chris Larkins, Dacula High School; and Kirtan Parekh, North Gwinnett High School, joined 107 other Georgia high school students on one of the nation’s most prestigious, longest running leadership programs for teens.
Jackson EMC’s 2015 Washington Youth Tour Delegates, from left, are Kirtan Parekh, North Gwinnett; Emily Bauer, Brookwood; Kristen Gomez, Mill Creek; and Chris Larkins, Dacula, at Lafayette Park, with the White House in the background.
Earlier this year, the four were chosen as Jackson EMC’s delegates for the June 11-18 Washington Youth Tour (WYT), marking Georgia’s biggest group ever–111 students and 17 chaperones sent by 38 of Georgia’s EMCs. The Georgia delegation joined approximately 1,700 of America’s best and brightest students and 300 chaperones from 43 states.
The event kicked off with a banquet in Atlanta, where reining Georgia Youth Leadership Council representative and 2014 WYT delegate Michael Smith, Mountain View High School, addressed the incoming delegation. State Rep. Brooks Coleman of Duluth, House Education Committee chairman, delivered the keynote address to an audience of more than 400 attendees.
Later, the group took part in cooperative training, teambuilding and leadership exercises before flying to Washington, D.C. They visited historic landmarks and national treasures such as Arlington Cemetery, the Smithsonian Museums, Holocaust Museum, Mount Vernon, Supreme Court, U.S. Capitol, Washington Monument, and the MLK, FDR, Jefferson, World War II, Korean War and Lincoln memorials. The group also toured the new American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial, and met with staff and/or members of Georgia’s congressional delegation, including personal visits and photos with Senators Johnny Isakson and David Perdue and U.S. Representatives Buddy Carter, Doug Collins, Jody Hice, Barry Loudermilk, Austin Scott, Lynn Westmoreland and Rob Woodall.
Chris Larkins, Dacula High School, comments: “Meeting the other delegates and making lifelong connections, coupled with the trip’s agenda to our nation’s capitol, has left a lasting impression on us in ways we didn’t expect. We knew it was the trip of a lifetime, but the enormity of it is difficult to put into words.”
Emily Bauer adds: “Pictures, textbooks and class discussions can’t adequately convey key periods in history such as the Holocaust Museum and other monuments and memorials.”
Jackson EMC’s President/CEO Chip Jakins says: “These students are leading the way in the communities, and it’s important to provide them with a chance to see history come to life and give them a rare opportunity to connect with other student leaders like themselves from across the country. The students come away with an understanding of the challenges facing the entire nation and gain new insight as to the vision, leadership and sacrifices required to build better lives for themselves, their families and communities.”
- For 50 years, more than 50,000 young citizens have traveled to Washington with the help of their electric cooperative. Additional photos from this year’s tour can be requested and will soon be posted at www.jacksonemc.com/wyt2015recap.
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