Grant Union High School junior to represent OTEC at DC Youth Tour
By Logan Bagett on Monday, May 1st, 2023 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News More Top Stories
JOHN DAY – (Press Release from Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative)
Oregon Trail Electric and the OTEC Member Foundation are proud to announce that a student from Grant County will represent the cooperative at this June’s Washington D.C. Youth Tour.
Abbie Justice, a current junior at Grant Union High School, was selected among applicants to attend the one-week trip, where she’ll join other future leaders from co-ops across the nation.
“Abbie is a leader, both inside and outside the classroom,” says Lea Hoover, OTEC’s Director of Member and Strategic Services and the Executive Director of the Foundation. “We know this trip to Washington, D.C. will provide valuable, life-long experiences for this student and help equip her to become a community leader in the future.” Abbie is deeply involved in local 4H, FFA, FBLA and participates in track and field and cross country for the Prospectors. She also volunteers as a teacher at Painted Sky Center for the Arts in Canyon City.
“I’m really excited for this opportunity and thankful to OTEC and the OTEC Member Foundation for offering these amazing experiences to kids in eastern Oregon.” said Abbie. “History fascinates me and Washington. D.C. is full of the history that shaped America. I will love seeing firsthand where historical moments in American history took place. It tells us how we got where we are, and I want to learn and see more of it.”
The Washington DC Youth Tour is a program organized through the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) and offered by electric cooperatives throughout the nation to high school juniors from their co-op membership. Participants receive an all-expense-paid trip to the nation’s capital and learn about the nation’s history with visits to the Arlington National Cemetery, the Washington Monument, and the Smithsonian. In addition, students not only meet with other participants their age from across the nation, but they also get the opportunity to discuss current issues with Congressional representatives and senators.
Abbie adds: “I think I will benefit from the Youth Tour by getting out of my comfort zone. I love meeting new people, but I tend to get nervous ahead of time. This will be a great place to meet new people from all over and learning more about them.”
OTEC and the OTEC Member Foundation are proud to support the Youth Tour program each year as giving back to the communities we serve and investing in the next generation of leaders is part of our mission.
About the cooperative
Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative (OTEC) is a not-for-profit, member-owned electric cooperative that serves nearly 60,000 residents in four counties in Eastern Oregon. Headquartered in Baker City, OTEC has district offices in Burns, John Day and La Grande.
