SEC Students Go to D.C.

Thirty-six students representing 18 South Dakota electric cooperatives headed to the Washington, D.C., area June 15-21 for the 2024 Rural Electric Youth Tour. Two of those students were from Southeastern Electric’s service area. The trip was awarded to Anna Marohl, a junior from Centerville and Caydence Fields, a junior from Tea.

The program, which can trace its existence back to a 1957 speech by Lyndon B. Johnson where he encouraged electric cooperatives to send youth to the nation’s capital so they “can actually see what the flag stands for and represents,” encourages teens to engage in their communities and learn about the importance of political involvement. More than 1,300 teens have represented the Rushmore State since South Dakota sent its first group in 1963. Marohl enjoyed her time in D.C. and shared, “Looking up at the huge Supreme Court as well as the other historical buildings was an awesome experience as I considered all the influential people that have stood in the same place.”

The 2024 group visited many of the historic sites the region offers, including Fort McHenry in Baltimore. The fort’s bombardment in the War of 1812 was captured in Francis Scott Key’s poem, which would eventually become the national anthem. Old Glory would play a recurring theme in the trip as students could see it at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and also hear an inspirational message centered on the flag from Youth Day keynote speaker Mike Schlappi, a four-time Paralympic medalist in U.S.A. men’s wheelchair basketball.

Students also met with the state’s congressional delegation with a short meet and greet with U.S. Sen. John Thune and U.S. Sen Mike Rounds. Fields shared, “A moment from the trip that stood out to me was when we were able to talk to Senators Thune and Rounds. They responded to all our questions, and it was a memorable experience!”

Youth Tour participants visited many of our nation’s historical sites – including the National Archives, Library of Congress, Mount Vernon, U.S. Supreme Court and many more. “Mount Vernon was my favorite museum,” said Marohl. “I learned so much about George Washington both inside and outside of the presidency. He was a manager of a large estate and had lots of influence on agriculture at the time.”

“I would recommend this trip to other students because you get the chance to see things you probably have not seen or experienced before. It was a fun trip and teaches you to respect history because if it didn’t happen, we probably wouldn’t be here right now,” shared Fields.

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