Trip Of A Lifetime

By Isaac Joerger
Amazing, fantastic, a tripof a lifetime, are the words that describe the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour. Along the trip, those words were repeated multiple times. After spending six days in our nation’s capital and another half day in

Baltimore, how could words like these not escape from our lips. Everything was very hassle-free throughout the whole tour. The people running the tour have had years of experience and took care of every possible problem before it even happened.

Each day was planned out so we were able to tour as many areas as possible. Some of the sights we visited were the Washington Monument, National World War II Memorial, Lincoln Memorial and the Marine Corps War Memorial. We also visited many museums, including the Newseum, which had many newspaper archives and the current date’s front pages from newspapers around the world. We visited as many Smithsonian museums as time allowed.

During our half day in Baltimore, we visited the National Aquarium and explored the harbor. Even though we spent most of our time on foot, there were times when we could sit back and relax with others from our state. This was a very valuable time because we were able to get to know new teens from our state and form lifelong friendships.

The coolest thing that happened on our trip was how tight we became as a group. At the beginning of the trip, most students were shy and didn’t really know what to say but by the end we were all wondering why we didn’t know each other before.

The trip wasn’t all touring; however, there were two nights when we were able to meet new people from other states while enjoying games, dances and snacks. The trip also featured motivational speakers who did an outstanding job and had amazing life stories. One night a speaker talked to our group about how cooperatives are organized and how they play an important role in our economy.

The Electric Cooperative Youth Tour was the trip of a lifetime for me, and I am extremely thankful that I was chosen for this remarkable opportunity through Nodak Electric Cooperative.

Essay Contest Details

• To enter the essay-writing contest, you must currently be a sophomore or junior in high school.
• You and your parents or guardian must be served by Nodak Electric Cooperative.
• Deadline is Jan. 31, 2018. Emailed entries should be directed to gschmaltz@nodakelectric.com, and hard-copy entries mailed to: Youth Tour Essay Contest, Nodak Electric Cooperative, 4000 32nd Ave. S., PO Box 13000, Grand Forks, ND 58208-3000.
• If you have a question, contact Gretchen Schmaltz, Nodak Electric, at the address listed above or call 701-746-4461 during regular business hours.

Check out the essay contest guidelines at www.ndyouthtour.com and www.youthtour.coop