(JEFFERSON, GA. March 19, 2018) -- Jackson Electric Membership Corporation (EMC) has selected four area high school students as delegates to the 2018 Washington Youth Tour, scheduled for June 7-14. This all-expenses paid leadership development experience is sponsored by Georgia’s electric cooperatives and organized by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA).

From Gwinnett County, Peachtree Ridge High School sophomore Lydia Ebun Ajayi and Mountain View High School junior Briani Netzahuatl were selected. From Jackson County, Jackson County Comprehensive High School junior Andrea Ellett, and Jefferson High School junior Luke Bell were chosen.

Competing students were nominated to represent their high school, and selected based on academic performance, school and community involvement, essays, letters of recommendation, and a personal interview.

“Our delegates truly represent the values of Jackson EMC with their commitment to community service, high standard of integrity, and spirit of cooperation” said Jackson EMC President and CEO Chip Jakins.

Since 1965, the Washington Youth Tour has given more than 3,100 Georgia students and more than 51,000 students nationwide the opportunity to take part in this once-in-a-lifetime experience. The program was initially implemented at the request of President Lyndon Johnson to “send youngsters to the nation’s capital where they can actually see what the flag stands for and represents.”

For more information on Washington Youth Tour, go to www.jacksonemc.com/wyt.

Jackson Electric Membership Corporation, the largest electric cooperative in Georgia and one of the largest in the nation, is headquartered 50 miles northeast of Atlanta in Jefferson, Ga. The cooperative serves more than 225,000 meters on 14,000 miles of energized wire. For more information, visit jacksonemc.com.

Photo: The 2018 Washington Youth Tour delegates for Jackson EMC are: Luke Bell, Jefferson High School; Briani Netzahuatl, Mountain View High School; Lydia Ebun Ajayi, Peachtree Ridge High School; and Andrea Ellett, Jackson County Comprehensive High School.