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Washington, D.C., Youth Tour Opens New Possibilities
By Courtney Cobb
For generations, the nation’s capital has offered a blend of history, culture, and intrigue for the country’s youth. This proved no different when thousands of teenagers from across the United States descended on Washington, D.C., this summer for the National Rural Electric Cooperative’s annual Youth Tour to learn more about the country, the role cooperatives play in their local communities, and more.
For Central Electric Cooperative’s Youth Tour delegate and Redmond Proficiency Academy senior Ashton Craig, a week in Washington, D.C., brought history to life, opened doors to new possibilities, and created new lifelong friendships.
“The best part about the Youth Tour, in my opinion, was being able to meet people from all over the United States and being able to talk with them during the pin trading and youth day,” Ashton says. “It was really fun to see all of the different personalities and hear about the experiences everyone else was having, while also experiencing everything for the first time myself.”
The fast-paced week included tours of famous landmarks, such as Arlington National Cemetery, Capitol Hill, the Holocaust Museum, the Smithsonian, and the National Cathedral. Students also took in “Les Misérables” at the Kennedy Center.
Despite the heat and humidity, Ashton says he enjoyed walking the grounds of Mount Vernon and watching musicians and actors march across the open field of the main house while getting to know his fellow Oregon and California delegates.
Ashton says he has always had a curiosity about the world around him, an influence of his father, who is passionate about history and science.
“I grew up hearing fun facts about every place we went to, but I had never gone to the capital with him,” he says. “I felt like I was missing a narrator while we were going through some of these historic sites. While I did gain a new appreciation for the history and architecture of the capital, I also gained an appreciation for my personal tour guide who, up until this point, I had never traveled without.”
With a city full of places to explore, Ashton says 1 of his favorite destinations was the Jefferson Memorial.
“It was the last day we had together on the tour, and everyone had finally come out of their shells, which meant that for about an hour as we watched the sun set over the city with the Washington Monument in the background, everyone was kind of goofing off and having fun,” he says.
All the Oregon and California delegates were talking, taking group photos, and sharing experiences.
“We made human pyramids and sat on the edge looking over the water,” Ashton says. “Everyone was just kind of drifting between groups and taking in the moment, which I thought was really special.”
Changing Course for the Future
The Washington, D.C., Youth Tour is often a life-changing event for the delegates. Many students have a new world of possibilities opened to them. Ashton says before the trip, he was set on becoming a pilot, eventually flying commercially as his career.
“During the week in D.C., my perspective on what my future could be changed, and I am so grateful that I was given the opportunity to have my eyes opened to everything that I could become,” he says. “This trip allowed me to meet many other people whom I otherwise would never have spoken to or had the chance to speak to.”
The trip includes talking with legislators and their staff on Capitol Hill.
“Talking to all of the staff members on Capitol Hill Day was truly a unique experience that I believe will help shape my choices in the future,” Ashton says.
“I learned about so many other career opportunities within Capitol Hill, which led me down a rabbit hole of sorts. I am now looking into degrees that open up career fields that I could join, because I realized I would feel most fulfilled in my life helping other people in some way. This realization has made me look at colleges in both the United Kingdom and Spain to grow my cultural experiences and language abilities.”
Ashton says he would go on this trip again in a heartbeat and highly recommends other students apply for it.
“I would recommend this trip because of how personal it is to every person who goes,” he says. “On this trip, you make friends and memories which are so unique to you that I guarantee no one else on the trip will have the same experience you did. I think the uniqueness of everyone’s experience is what makes it so special.”