High school juniors and seniors competed in three local contests for a chance to win an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., from June 6-15. The students interviewed with a panel of judges to convincingly explain why they should represent South Plains Electric Cooperative. The students were also asked questions on their cooperative knowledge.
With the help of Golden Spread Electric Cooperative and our Operation Round Up Employee Fund, there will be a total of six students representing South Plains Electric Cooperative in Washington, D.C., this summer.
The six students representing South Plains Electric Cooperative are Hannah Franklin, Frenship High School; Nick Garcia, Childress High School; Hallie Richardson, Aspermont High School; Zach Sims, Frenship High School; Danni Uriegas, Spur High School and Mesa Ware, Crosbyton High School. These students will join about 147 other Texas youth before heading out to Washington. The Texas contingency will be part of more than 1,600 young adults from across the nation participating in the annual Youth Tour.
The Twist
The Youth Tour contest is open to all high school juniors and seniors attending a qualifying school—even an employee’s kid. When Danni Uriegas won the Spur contest, without the judges knowing she was an employee’s kid, the Operation Round Up Employee Fund Committee decided to sponsor her so the cooperative could send Hallie Richardson from Aspermont as the alternate winner and a member’s kid.
The Operation Round Up Employee Fund is supported through payroll deductions, not member contributions, and governed by a committee of employees. The Employee Fund already sponsors scholarships, so it was a natural fit to add sponsoring a Youth Tour winner. This is the second year for the Employee Fund to sponsor a Youth Tour winner and is another example of the employees working in the best interest of all cooperative members.
Thanks to Golden Spread Electric Cooperative, our wholesale power provider, we are able to send an additional student from the Lubbock contest on the trip of a lifetime.
