PEC opens applications for 2027 Youth Tour
JOHNSON CITY, Texas — Pedernales Electric Cooperative is accepting applications through Nov. 12 from high school students interested in representing the cooperative in Washington, D.C., during the 2027 Youth Tour.
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s Youth Tour brings students from across the country to Washington. Participants visit historic sites, meet government leaders and learn about public service and civic engagement.
Former President Lyndon B. Johnson helped establish the Youth Tour program. He also played a role in bringing electricity to the Texas Hill Country and in PEC’s formation.
PEC’s most recent delegates said the trip offered lessons extending beyond government and history.
Ava Gray, a recent One Day Academy graduate from Buda, said she initially worried about traveling with people she did not know.
Those concerns changed as the students became friends. Gray said fellow delegates supported her during an emotional visit to her father’s grave at Arlington National Cemetery.
“They stood in silence beside me, honoring my father and his sacrifice to our country,” Gray said. “They knelt and wept with me in my grief, and they prayed with me at his headstone.”
John Alan Whittle, a senior at Marble Falls High School, said the trip combined lessons in history, leadership and civic engagement.
Whittle said visiting national memorials at night was among the highlights. The experience gave him a different perspective than learning about the same history in a classroom.
“Youth Tour gave me a broader perspective on leadership and civic engagement,” Whittle said.
Gabriella Fory, a senior at Canyon Lake High School, also described visits to war memorials and Arlington National Cemetery as particularly meaningful.
Fory said seeing her great-great-uncle’s name on a memorial made history personal. She hopes to attend the U.S. Naval Academy and serve in the military.
Other delegates emphasized the relationships they formed during the trip.
Kandice Richardson, a senior at Lago Vista High School, said meeting students from different backgrounds helped her become more confident starting conversations and building relationships.
Thomas Jansta, a senior at Leander High School, said he met students from communities of fewer than 100 residents as well as students from some of the country’s largest cities.
Jansta said those interactions were his favorite part of the program.
“Even though I had known these people for no longer than a week, I made many friendships that I believe will last a lifetime,” Jansta said.
Students interested in the 2027 program can find application information at PEC’s Youth Tour webpage. The application deadline is Nov. 12.
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