Mountain View Electric Association announced the winners of this yearís Youth Leadership Trip contest. According to the press release, ìApplicants answered three short essay questions, which explored the seven cooperative principles that electric co-ops were founded on, leadership qualities they value, and what being part of an electric cooperative means to them.îThe winners will attend one of two Youth Leadership trips in 2022. The essays were blindly judged by MVEAís Education Committee, which is comprised of MVEA board members.Reagan Massey, a sophomore at Falcon High School, received third place for her essay.Reaganís essay included the following: ìThe founders of Mountain View Electric Association demonstrated self-reliance and acted not only to help themselves, but their friends and neighbors,î she said. According to MVEA, Reagan is active in her church, 4-H club and is a ìtalented cross country and track athlete.î She said, ìA good leader should be able to recognize the talents and skills of others and put them in a place where they can grow. Ö I do my best to treat everybody like they are somebody.îAlso among the winners:Kianna Gray, a junior at Air Academy High School, received first place for her essay. Kianna is a four-time speech and debate national qualifier. When asked about the qualities a good leader has, she said, ìThe qualities of a good leader are not simply the ability to influence others, but the character to lead others to a better path that betters society as a whole.îDiya Suri, a junior at Palmer Ridge High School, received second place. Diva created the Elevate Readers Club, which allows high school students to run book clubs at elementary schools. Diya is president of her schoolís National Charity League, a varsity swimmer and active in speech and debate.John Moritz, a junior at Palmer Ridge High School, received fourth place, and also talked about leadership. Johnís goal is to attend the Air Force Academy. He has done an internship with Tri-Lakes Cares and is an athlete in two sports. He wrote in his essay, ìSupport for a variety of people allows for the inclusion of countless diverse and intelligent opinions Ö being founded on this principle shows the dedication these businesses have towards their communities and the organizations they support.îThe first and second place winners have chosen an all-expenses-paid, week-long trip to Washington, D.C. in June for the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour with other students nationwide. The third and fourth place winners have chosen to attend Colorado Electric Educational Instituteís Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp in Clark, Colorado, in July. They will join students from Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Wyoming to improve their leadership skills and enjoy a variety of outdoor activities.Mountain View caption: Reagan Massey, a sophomore at Falcon High School, received third place for her essay as part of the Mountain View Electric Association leadership contest.
