Four local students were recently chosen to represent CHELCO in the 2025 National Rural Electric Cooperatives Association Youth Tour program. 

Landree Ryan (Freeport High School), Ariana Henry (Laurel Hill School), Abby Lewis (Rocky Bayou Christian School) and Michael Richards (Baker School) were ranked by three judges as the highest scorers in a competition in which each contestant created a video about themselves, their experience on the Tallahassee Youth Tour trip in February and their future career aspirations.

These four students will embark on a trip to Washington, D.C., in June to dive deeper into what it means to be an electric cooperative and explore our nation’s capital and its history.

Youth Tour is a program available to high school juniors who are CHELCO member dependents. Applications for next year’s Youth Tour will open in October and are sent to each school in our service area. For more information, please visit CHELCO.com/Youth-Tour.