Victory Electric is pleased to announce the 2024 winners of leadership development trips for youth: Josie Robinson, a junior at Dodge City High School; Tana McDonald and Jordan Stimpert, both juniors at Bucklin High School; and Lenzi Koehn, a junior at South Gray High School.

Victory Electric believes in developing the potential of today’s youth to become tomorrow’s leaders. To provide opportunities for building these skills, each year Victory Electric invites juniors from its cooperative service area to apply for all-expenses-paid trips to the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour (Youth Tour) in Washington, D.C., and the Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp (CYLC) in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

Robinson and McDonald will attend the Youth Tour June 13-21, and Stimpert and Koehn will attend CYLC July 12-18. The four winners will also receive a $500 scholarship following their high school graduation. This year, Victory Electric asked candidates to create a short video sharing energy-efficiency tips and explaining why saving energy is important. A panel of judges selected the winners after evaluating the candidates’ applications, résumés, videos and in-person interviews.

“We’re proud of the students who applied, and we enjoyed seeing the creativity shown in their energy-efficiency videos. The annual youth trips reflect Victory’s commitment to community and youth development, and we know this year’s winners will represent the cooperative well in their travels this summer,” said Victory Electric Vice President of Communications Chanda Schulte.

Youth Tour attendees will meet with state and national legislators in the nation’s capital and build connections with thousands of high school students from across the country. The educational experience includes tours of Smithsonian museums, visits to the White House and other historic sites and monuments.

CYLC participants will learn about the electric cooperative industry through hands-on sessions, raft on the Colorado River and tour a power plant. Nearly 100 students from electric cooperative communities in Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Wyoming are expected to attend the leadership camp this summer.

The contest is held each fall for area high school juniors, and 14 students applied for the 2024 contest. For more information about youth programs or Victory Electric’s Lightner Community Spirit Scholarship program, visit victoryelectric.net.