La Grande High School Junior to Represent OTEC at DC Youth Tour
By Shannon Weidemann (McKone) on Monday, March 11th, 2024 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
BAKER CITY – (Release from OTEC) Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative (OTEC) and the OTEC Member Foundation are proud to announce that a student from Union County will represent the cooperative at this June’s Electric Cooperative Youth Tour (Youth Tour).
The Youth Tour is a program organized through the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) and offered by OTEC and other electric cooperatives throughout the nation to high school juniors from within their co-op membership. Each year since the late 1950s, the Youth Tour has brought students to Washington, D.C. for a week in June. To date, nearly 50,000 students from rural areas and small towns across America have participated in this program.
Participants receive an all-expense-paid trip to our nation’s capital where they will learn about our nation’s history with visits to the Arlington National Cemetery, the Washington Monument, and the Smithsonian. Students will not only meet with other participants their age from across the nation, they will also have the opportunity to discuss current issues with Congressional representatives and senators. Students will also learn about the history of electric cooperatives, the cooperative business model and the vital role co-ops played (and continue to play) in bringing electricity to rural America.
Natasha Lane, currently a junior at La Grande High School, submitted her application and was selected to attend the one-week trip, where she’ll join other future leaders from co-ops across the nation.
“Natasha has already displayed incredible leadership attributes, 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 the Cooperative’s investment in this program will provide valuable, life-long experiences and help equip her to give back to her community in the future.”
Natasha is deeply involved in local FFA, FBLA and 4-H. She participates in soccer, golf and Mock Trial for the Tigers while academically earning induction into the National Honor Society.
“Participating in the Youth Tour will benefit me in both education and relationships,” Said Natasha. “This adventure will teach me the rich history of the U.S. and build relationships with high school students
from all across Oregon as well as nation-wide. Additionally, I will learn more about how cooperatives are involved in producing life and business sustaining electricity to our rural areas.”
Natasha adds: “Thank you so much OTEC and the OTEC Member Foundation for the opportunity they are providing me, I am so excited to go to Washington, D.C. this summer and experience all it has to offer.”
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.
