ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE YOUTH TOUR
Attention: High School Juniors! This summer, go on a Power Trip! Beltrami Electric Cooperative will sponsor one student on an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. Participating in the Youth Tour is an awesome way to learn about this great nation, develop leadership skills, gain a better understanding of electric cooperatives and forge friendships that will last a lifetime.
Beltrami Electric Cooperative selects Josibeth Aguilera for 2020 Youth Tour
Beltrami Electric is pleased to announce that Josibeth Aguilera of Tenstrike has been selected as the cooperative’s 2020 Electric Cooperative Youth Tour representative. She will join hundreds of high school students representing their cooperatives on an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. Unfortunately, due to circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Youth Tour was cancelled. Ms. Aguilera was offered and accepted the opportunity to attend the 2021 Youth Tour. This trip is part of an annual Youth Tour sponsored by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), the Minnesota Rural Electric Association (MREA) and Beltrami Electric Cooperative. 
Students on the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour will participate in leadership training, engage in one-on-one conversations with their U.S. Representatives and Senators, jumpstart their national peer network and tour Washington, D.C. The tour includes visits to the Smithsonian, the National Archives, Arlington National Cemetery, the WWI, Vietnam, Korean War Veteran’s Memorials as well as the Jefferson, Washington and Lincoln Memorials.
As part of the selection process, candidates were required to submit an application, write a 500-word essay and submit two letters of reference from teachers, group or community leaders. Ms. Aguilera’s application expressed her passion for the law and her desire to learn more about our government and U.S. History.
Ms. Aguilera is very active at Bemidji High School. She has participated in mock trial for the past three years while maintaining a 4.0 grade point average. She is currently involved in the Post-Secondary Enrollment Option (PSEO) Program that allows her to take college level courses while in high school, and is a member of the BSU Honors Program.
Ms. Aguilera has a love of music and the arts, studying both piano and viola for many years. She received a Regions 2 Young Artist Grant in 2017 and has volunteered locally at the Watermark Art Center and the Red Cross while studying abroad in Santona, Spain. She has been an active member of 4-H and has competed with 4-H at the State Fair for the past three years. Ms. Aguilera plans to pursue a degree in international law and is excited for the opportunity to visit Washington, D.C.
She is the daughter of Bernadette Aguilera of Tenstrike, Minn. The members of Beltrami Electric are once again pleased to send a well-rounded student to our nation’s capital as a representative of the cooperative. Congratulations and good luck!