When I applied for the Youth Tour Trip through South Central Electric
Association, I did not know how much fun it was going to be. It turned out to be on of the greatest
things I have ever done. When I was announced as the winner in March, I was
excited to get out of Minnesota, meet new people, and see the nation’s
capital. I had never been to the East
Coast and it was always something I wanted to do. From what I had heard from others at the South
Central Electric Annual Meeting, this trip was dubbed “The Once in a Lifetime
Experience” and surely it was.
On June 13 (the day I left
Minnesota), I didn’t know what I was
walking into. All the kids that were chosen by their local Rural Electric
Cooperatives to come on this trip seemed scared, and I definitely was as well.
We flew out on a plane to Washington D.C. and it was an experience for me
because I had never been on a plane before. Luckily I got through the two hour
flight and made it to Washington D.C. That night we ate at the Hard Rock Café,
and toured the Air Force Memorial and the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial. Out of all
the Memorials in Washington D.C., the 9/11 Memorial was my favorite because it
was something simple and basic. They
constructed a bench for every person that died. The name of the person on the
bench was inscribed on the side, if you read it looking out into the sky they
died on the plane and if you read it facing the Pentagon then they died in the
Pentagon.
Another favorite thing I saw was
the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Out of all the Museums I toured this was
probably the one I got the most out of because it was very quiet and creepy. I saw a Nazi uniform and a prisoner uniform
that were from that time period, and also a lot of other artifacts that
contributed to the Holocaust. I also loved the Newseum, a museum dedicated to
news reporters and media. I saw newspapers that dated from the 1400’s all the
way up to 2011 when Osama Bin Laden was killed. They also had a wall dedicated
to major city newspapers which featured the front page blown up, and it is
updated every day.
Out of all the memorials I saw I
really liked the Korean War Memorial and the Vietnam Memorial. The Korean War
Memorial made you feel like you where there with the soldiers because one of
them was always staring at you. The wall that was on the side of the memorial showed
images of the Korean War and it felt like the statue soldiers would look back
at you. At the Vietnam Memorial, I loved
the wall because it showed the names of who died and are still missing. A lot of people leave artifacts at the
Memorial that the park service collects and archives them. Someday they plan to
have a museum for the artifacts. In
August, the traveling Vietnam Wall is coming to the Watonwan County Fairgrounds
and I can wait to see that.
The most Iconic Man in American
History is George Washington. I saw his home, Mount Vernon, and it was really
cool! The plantation was really big and there was a great view from his home out
to the Potomac River. George Washington had livestock, crops, made whiskey and
even had a fishing venture. He did a little bit of everything, but most
importantly he was the first president of the United States of America.
Overall, I had a great trip I
made a lot of new friends from around the state and got to meet some people
from all over the country. The trip that was dubbed “The Once in A Lifetime
Experience” surely was once in a lifetime. I would recommend for anyone in high
school that is able to apply, should apply for this trip. It was a lot of fun
just being with people you didn’t know. Gayle Karol, the lady that was in
charge of us, was really funny and was a fun person to be with. Our other
chaperones were pretty cool, too. They
weren’t too strict on us! I would like
to thank South Central Electric Association for choosing me as their
representative for the Youth Tour. With
them choosing me as the winner, it gave me the courage to apply for a 4-H State
Ambassador Position through Minnesota 4-H.
I will be representing Watonwan County at state level 4H activities including the Minnesota State
Fair. I consider myself lucky for getting the chance
to go on Youth Tour and look forward to giving my presentation on this
experience at the Annual Meeting in March. This experience with Youth Tour is
one I am going to remember for a lifetime.
