Last summer, I attended an all-expenses-paid trip to the nation’s capital for an entire week. Not only that, but I was given a preloaded Visa card to buy food and souvenirs while I was there. I visited many amazing historical locations such as Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Arlington National Cemetery and four of the Smithsonian’s—and that is only to name a few.

I was able to experience all of this thanks to the Duck River Electric Membership Cooperation. Through the NRECA, they hosted an essay contest that is available to juniors. With the encouragement of English teachers Mrs. Monroe and Mrs. Winton, I decided to give the contest a shot and wrote a nine hundred word short story about how electric cooperatives go beyond the wires.

On June 9, after the longest bus ride I’ve ever been on, I arrived in Washington D.C. My entire week was packed as full as possible to provide an amazing experience. The long days felt far too short every time I had to say goodbye to one location and move onto the next.

My favorite location we visited was the Natural History Museum at the Smithsonian. I could have spent the entire day there and still not have seen all it had to offer. We made an impromptu stop at the White House one night, only to be kicked off the premises. However, we returned the next morning without trouble. That is one of the many stories I will remember forever from this trip. Another, more meaningful, experience I will never forget is hearing a Holocaust survivor speak about his childhood at the Holocaust museum.  

By the end of the trip, I had gained both the experience of a lifetime and many friendships that I still maintain months later. All the students on the trip, including my friends and me, wished that we had taken a bus home instead of flying to allow us to have more time together.

I strongly encourage all juniors to participate in this contest because it is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity. I can easily say that was one of the best decisions of my life, and information is currently  available from junior English teachers.