SLECA Youth Tour Writing local winners gearing up for trip to Washington, D.C.

Two area students have won top honors at the 25th South Louisiana Electric Cooperative Association’s annual Washington, D.C., Youth Tour Writing Competition.

“The purpose of the contest is to give local students a chance to develop leadership skills, learn how the electric cooperatives work, see governmental action and tour Washington, D.C,” said Mike Guidry, SLECA general manager.

Contest winners H.L. Bourgeois High School juniors Ashton Martin, 16, daughter of Shelia Martin of Gibson, and Carrie Adams, 16, daughter of Penny and Stephen Adams of Houma, won a one-week, all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., in June.

Both students are anxiously awaiting the June 8 trip, so they can explore the Potomac River and Smithsonian Institute.

This year’s participants were asked to write a letter to an elected local, state or national official addressing an issue important to them. Adams chose recycling and Martin selected gun control.

“Recycling is important to me because we need to keep the state clean. We only have one Earth and if we continue trashing it, there won’t be anything left for the generations to come,” Adams said.

On the other hand, Martin said, “I chose gun control because every day I see on the news how people are gunned down in the streets due to gang violence and street crimes. I feel that we need to do more to combat it.”

A panel of judges from the Association of Louisiana Electric Cooperative in Baton Rouge judged the entries. “The judges had a very difficult job selecting the top letters because all the students did a really good job,” Guidry said.

While at the nation’s Capitol, Martin and Adams will join more than 1,600 students from 37 states. They will have the opportunity to visit Louisiana lawmakers on Capitol Hill, as well as visit Arlington National Cemetery and other historical and governmental sites.

“I feel that this is a great opportunity for me because we get to meet so many people who have the same desires as we do. Not to mention, we get to travel outside of Louisiana for a change,” Martin said.

In agreement, Adams said, “It’s a great opportunity to meet the officials who represent Louisiana at the Capitol.”

As a part of the SLECA-sponsored youth trip, the winner’s participated in the Cooperative Youth Leadership conference in Baton Rouge in April. Guidry said during the conference the youth tour winners toured Louisiana’s Generating’s Big Cajun II Power Plan in New Roads, the Louisiana State Capitol and the Governor’s Mansion.

“The conference gave the students an opportunity to get to know each other before the trip to Washington,” Guidry said.

SLECA serves over 15,000 consumers in Assumption, Lafourche, St. Mary, St. Martin and Terrebonne parishes and is a Touchstone Energy Cooperative.