Palmetto student chosen as delegate for Washington, D.C., youth tour

A Palmetto High School student has been selected as a delegate for the annual Youth Tour to Washington, D.C., event this summer.

Abigail Hamm, a junior from Palmetto High School, will be among the 30 Florida students heading to the the week-long conference in D.C., which is coordinated by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, headquartered in Arlington, Va.

Youth Tour brings 1,700 students to the nation’s capital from electric co-ops in 46 states. The Peace River Electric Cooperative, or PRECO, selected Hamm and Jakevis Brown from Hardee High School to attend the event.

“Youth Tour is the trip-of-a-lifetime for high school juniors from all across the U.S.,” said Mark Sellers, PRECO communications coordinator. “Sending two students all-expenses-paid is our way of giving back to the communities we serve.”

Both Hamm and Brown were selected based on their application, personal essay and interview.

During their time in D.C., students attending Youth Tour will visit Arlington National Cemetery, Smithsonian Museums, the Lincoln Memorial, the Holocaust Museum and many of the city’s war memorials. The students will also get to meet with Florida legislators on Capitol Hill.

“Youth Tour also teaches students about the history and development of rural electrification and the value of electric cooperatives in the economic development of rural areas,” Sellers said.

This story was originally published February 9, 2017 at 7:02 PM with the headline "Palmetto student chosen as delegate for Washington, D.C., youth tour."