‹ Back to Light Flashes

Sneads High School junior, Jalen Kenner and Blountstown High School junior, Sofia Coley were named West Florida Electric’s Youth Tour competition winners on Tuesday, February 21. Korbin Haller of Graceville was named the alternate.

These students will represent WFEC on the National Rural Electric Youth Tour June 10-15, traveling to Washington, D.C. with over 30 other Florida students to join over 1,500 high school juniors representing co-ops from across the country.

Twelve area students participated in the Youth Tour this year. They were: Sheryl Smith, Altha School; Sofia Coley, Blountstown High School; Jaqueline Stewart, Chipley High School; Caleb Reed, Cottondale High School; Korbin Haller, Graceville High School; Kaylee Hatcher, Malone School; Cameron Gray, Marianna High School; Kassyn Williams, Poplar Springs School; Jalen Kenner, Sneads High School; Callie Batey, Vernon High School; Austin Whitehead, Cottonwood High School and Drew Willis, Blountstown High School.

Austin Whitehead is the grandson of Susie Johnson, an employee of the cooperative and Drew Willis is the grandson of Ellis Nichols, who serves on the co-op’s board of trustees. These students competed in a separate essay competition for the children and grandchildren or employees and trustees, sponsored by the Florida Rural Electric Cooperative Association. The winner of this essay competition wins a trip to Washington, D.C. and becomes the representative for the rural electric cooperatives of Florida.
Both Whitehead and Willis did extremely well in this competition, with Willis bringing home first place and Whitehead being named runner-up.

The cooperative’s Board of Trustees has created a scholarship program linked to Youth Tour participation. Each year, a scholarship of $4,000 to Chipola College is awarded to the highest scoring participant from
each county. Participants are ranked on a scale of 100 points using a panel interview process and the following categories: Communication Skills, Knowledge of Subject, Personality, Community Service and Poise/Appearance. Those scholarship recipients were: Sofia Coley, Calhoun County; Kassyn Williams,
Holmes County; Jalen Kenner, Jackson County and Jaqueline Stewart, Washington County. 74935001

The Washington, D.C. Youth Tour Program has been in existence since 1957 when co-ops sent students to
Washington, D.C. to work during the summer. By 1964, the program caught on, and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) began to coordinate the efforts of the co-ops. Since then, thousands of young people have experienced this opportunity. West Florida Electric Cooperative has been
sending students to Washington, D. C. and participating in the Youth Tour program since 1979. For more information about the Youth Tour and the scholarship program, please visit www.westflorida.coop or contact Candace Croft at ccroft@westflorida.coop.

Pictured above: (l-r) Ty Peel, VP Engineering & Operations; Russell Dunaway, EVP & CEO; A.C. Miles, WFEC Trustee; Ellis Nichols, WFEC Trustee; Kaylee Hatcher, Malone: Kassyn Williams, Poplar Springs; Jalen Kenner, Sneads; Callie Batey, Vernon; Drew Willis, Blountstown; Sheryl Smith, Altha; Caleb Reed, Cottondale;
Jaqueline Stewart, Chipley; Sofia Coley, Blountstown; Austin Whitehead, Cottonwood; Korbin Haller, Graceville; George Clayton Owens, WFEC Trustee; John Adams, WFEC Trustee and Joe Rone, WFEC Trustee.