THOMASVILLE — Scholars Academy student Emma Gebel recently returned from Washington, D.C., where she participated in the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour with Grady EMC.

According to Grady EMC, the Youth Tour has brought high school students to Washington every June since the late 1950s, allowing rising seniors to see the nation’s capital up close while learning about political processes and interacting with elected officials.

To partake in the tour, students are first recommended by their guidance counselor before applying and participating in a group interview.

Gebel’s first round interview included students from Thomasville and Thomas County, as both school systems compete for the Thomasville slot.

Grady EMC’s Adam Starr placed the students in a group, giving them varying situations to discuss, as he watched to see how the students would respond to the questions.

“It was more of a debate about our opinions on things,” Gebel said.

Upon the conclusion of that interview, Starr selected three students from both TCC and Thomasville High School.

The three chosen were then required to participate in a personal interview at Grady EMC.

Grady EMC employees conducted the interview in a similar format to the group interview, choosing scenario-based questions rather than questions based on the student’s resume.

“They asked controversial questions where people might have a divisive opinion,” Gebel said.

However, Gebel was able to express her opinions respectfully, sharing about how she came to those conclusions and how the trip would help her grow in continuing to form her views on various topics.

After hearing she was selected, Gebel met the two students, Kevin Ray of Bainbridge and Madison Gainous of Cairo, who would be accompanying her as part of the tour.

Having never met outside the interview, the trio quickly became friends on their ride to Atlanta for the first night of activities.

“We got to know each other on the car ride, so by the time we got to the banquet in Atlanta, we were joking around and it felt like we had known each other for a while,” Gebel said.

During the first night, each of the participants is pushed out of their comfort zone as they get to know each other through icebreaker activities and team bonding.

With more than 100 participants this year, Gebel said they were shuffled into random teams, where she met several new friends.

After a long night of activities, Gebel boarded her flight to D.C. the next morning, where she made new connections, as the flight was packed with other youth cooperative participants.

After arriving in D.C., Gebel said they were given wristbands and met with tour guides to begin their week of nonstop activities.

They visited the White House, along with all of the monuments, and Arlington National Cemetery. While at Arlington National Cemetery, four individuals from the tour had the privilege to lay down the wreath during the changing of the guard.

Out of the monuments, Gebel was particularly drawn to the MLK Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial, enjoying the history and explanation behind each of the works.

The group also had the opportunity to explore during their free time.

Gebel, along with several others, visited the Holocaust Museum, the Museum of American History, and the American Museum of Natural History.

“My favorite was the American Museum of Natural History, because it had all of the animals and skeletons and is also home to the Hope Diamond,” Gebel said. “It was just a privilege to experience, and we were grateful to be there.”

Further opportunities included speaking with Senator Raphael Warnock and hearing about his work advocating on behalf of farmers.

“That’s an experience I wouldn’t be able to have on my own, so it’s just really cool to be able to do this,” Gebel said.

Building that connection and having the opportunity to speak with Warnock is not lost on Gebel, as she encourages those younger than her to seek out the chance to be a part of the Grady EMC Youth Tour.

“I have connections everywhere now, and I can always reach out to those people now,” she said. “It also opens up job opportunities in the EMC realm.”

While Gebel isn’t sure she wants to pursue a career in government or as part of an EMC, she was still captivated by the inner workings of government and how policy is made regarding healthcare, as she hopes to become a pharmacist.

“It was neat to see how your legislators represent you and lobbyists fight for the different issues,” Gebel said. “It was definitely worth a whole week of my summer.”

Gebel concluded by thanking Grady EMC and Starr for the opportunity to participate in the program, sharing that the friends she made will last a lifetime.