GLE Youth Tour participant shares his experience

A year ago, all I knew about Great Lakes Energy was that they provide my family with electricity. That was all before this past summer, when I spent a week in Washington, D.C., learning about co-ops and so much more as a participant in the 2024 Youth Tour program.

I learned about Youth Tour in December of 2023 and after making my way through the application and interview process, I was beyond thrilled to learn that I was selected as one of four GLE delegates selected for the 2024 program.

Tuesday

From the moment I met my fellow delegates, I could tell that it was going to be a great trip. The bonding started immediately and before the end of the day, we were the best of friends. We arrived in Baltimore in the afternoon and were greeted by the most phenomenal tour guide and bus driver duo known to mankind. Our first stop was a walk through the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. For many of us, this was our first time in our nation’s capital, and it provided the perfect chance for us to soak in the American dream under the shadow of the Washington Monument in the distance.

After we checked into the Gaylord National Resort, which coincidentally shared part of its name with my hometown, we started getting to know our roommates and Washington immediately began feeling like a second home. That evening, athletes and non-athletes alike enjoyed an exciting baseball game at Nationals Park, the first of our many D.C. cultural experiences.

Wednesday

The next morning, I was one of two delegates who woke up at 5:15 a.m. and joined GLE’s CEO Shaun Lamp for the first run of his “Youth Tour Run Club.” We managed to conquer the lack of sleep and enjoy the peace and quiet of the early morning in National Harbor. It truly provided an opportunity to get to know a few of my companions while getting a nice, casual workout in. Every member of the “club” managed to add a handful of miles of running to the 55 miles our group walked throughout the week.

Our first experience collaborating with delegates from other states took place during a breakfast that included speakers from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. The speakers introduced us to the cooperative business model and provided opportunities for us to conquer our public speaking fears by speaking in front of hundreds of peers. After hearing various speeches about advocacy and how cooperatives impact our communities, I took advantage of the opportunity and found myself addressing my peers while having an engaging discussion with the speakers.

Our monument quest got off to a quick start as we visited both the Jefferson Memorial and got to ride to the top of the Washington Monument on the same

day. The latter provided an amazing bird’s eye view of the city and helped me truly understand where each of Washington’s landmark structures were in relation to one another. In addition, Wednesday was our first exposure to the vast number of cuisines that we would enjoy throughout the trip. We endured scorching hot weather on a walking food tour of Historic Georgetown and were treated to many different surprises including Polish pierogi and vegetarian tacos. We then found ourselves in the presence of the Bill of Rights and the Constitution; trying our hardest not to reenact the movie National Treasure by stealing the Declaration of Independence.

That night at dinner, nine of our Michigan delegates gave campaign speeches seeking support for election to NRECA’s Youth Leadership Council. After enjoying our Italian dinner and after the campaign speeches concluded, I learned I had been elected by my peers to represent Michigan at the NRECA’s PowerXchange in Atlanta next March.

I was thrilled and soon found myself seated among nominees from the other 43 participating states at the front of that evening’s Youth Night. We each had the opportunity to introduce ourselves, our sponsoring cooperative, and our state. The chance to speak in front of over 1,600 peers was an experience I will never forget. As the evening concluded, I was eager to get back to my roommates and fellow Michiganders, whom I had come to see as family.

Thursday

Thursday was our Capitol Hill day, which many of us eagerly anticipated. We stopped for some photos in front of the dome before meeting up with Congressman Jack Bergman’s staff for a personal tour of the Capitol Building and grounds.

After the tour, highlighted by exclusive access to the Speaker’s Balcony, we visited the Senate end of the building for a brief photo shoot/meet and greet with Sen. Debbie Stabenow. The second half of our day included a visit to Arlington National Cemetery. We witnessed the Changing of the Guard Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and four of my peers had the honor of laying a wreath on the tomb. The visit was capped off by paying our respects at the grave of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy and driving past the famous “Iwo Jima” Marines Memorial.

After eating a traditional American dinner at Hill Country Barbecue in downtown DC, we proceeded to the convention center portion of the hotel where nearly all 1,600 delegates were gathered for a huge farewell party and dance specifically aimed at the delegates who were leaving the next day.

Friday

Friday began with touring five notable memorials, including the Air Force Memorial, Pentagon 9/11 Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, and the black granite walls of the Vietnam War Memorial. We then visited the National Mall, where we were given three hours to explore whichever Smithsonian we pleased. My group decided to try to hit the highlights of as many museums as possible and managed to see six museums in that short amount of time.

After the museum visits, we returned to the hotel and had about two hours of free time. After being so busy, many of us took the opportunity for a nap. Although I seldom nap, I slept so long that I was nearly late for our next event, a dinner boat cruise down the Potomac. We spent the night dining and dancing with Youth Tour delegates from five other states and together deferred our exhaustion to the following day.

Saturday

Saturday was bittersweet as we approached the National Mall for the last time. We visited Ford’s Theater and enjoyed the informative museum and ranger talk about President Abraham Lincoln’s life and legacy.

After paying our respects at the World War II Memorial, we were treated to lunch at the famous Ben’s Chili Bowl. This restaurant, which has been visited by Presidents and celebrities alike, definitely lived up to its hype. We got to enjoy a classic Washingtonian meal which included endless bowls of French fries and a city native half-smoke hot dog. We all left the restaurant more than satisfied.

Since our visit to George Washington’s Mount Vernon was canceled due to the heat, we voted to visit the Holocaust Memorial Museum. The museum sent shivers down our spine as we contemplated the quote in the entrance, “This museum is not an answer, it’s a question.” It was a dreary, yet important piece of history that we had not yet covered during our trip.

After the museum visit, we returned to the hotel where we had time to pack for our departure the next morning. To be honest, as much as I wanted to get back home, I would have given anything to stay there with my newfound friends and continue to soak in all the history and culture of our nation’s capital.

We spent our last few hours together doing fun-filled activities such as going to the nearby Topgolf and exploring the riverfront in National Harbor, Maryland. After riding the Ferris wheel, we all decided to spend the waning hours of the night together in our Michigan suite. When it came time to head to our rooms, my roommates and I reminisced about our amazing week together and prepared ourselves for the imminent goodbyes the next morning.

Before we knew it, we were boarding the bus and bidding our final farewells to the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, which we had called home for the past week. We boarded the plane in Baltimore, and less than ninety minutes later, we were back in Grand Rapids where our journey began.