Each year, DMEA selects one area high school or alternative school student to participate in the week-long National Rural Electric Association Youth Tour in Washington, D.C. in June.

The winning student joins more than 1,500 high school students from across the country as they represent the nation's electric cooperatives and attend educational seminars, visit national monuments and museums, and meet with their representatives in the House and the Senate.

This trip is sponsored by DMEA from its Unclaimed Capital Credits Fund, which is designated for educational and charitable purposes.

To apply students must:

• Be at least 16 years of age at the time of the trip but not yet have graduated from high school;

• Live in a household or facility that receives electricity from DMEA;

• Submit a completed application and a 250-word essay, 10-15 minute video, free-hand drawing or computer-generated graphic, photograph, or any other creative work related to electricity.

This is the trip of a lifetime and an excellent opportunity for students to learn about cooperatives and see how our legislature works.

For more information on the tour, visit www.youthtour.coop.

Applications are available each fall at all area high school guidance offices or in the sidebar above.