West Kentucky RECC students reflect on freedom and future goals
Two local delegates represent co-op on 2026 Washington Youth Tour
West Kentucky RECC students Payton Hayden and Emily Wade returned from Washington, D.C., with a deeper appreciation for service, sacrifice and the opportunities ahead of them.
Hayden, a Graves County High School senior, and Wade, a Calloway County High School senior, were sponsored
by West Kentucky RECC on the 2026 Washington Youth Tour, a weeklong experience coordinated by Kentucky Electric Cooperatives and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
The program brings together rising young leaders from electric cooperative communities to experience American history, civic engagement and the cooperative commitment to community.
The West Kentucky RECC students joined Kentucky delegates for visits to Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello and George Washington’s Mount Vernon before continuing to Washington, D.C., where they toured the U.S. Capitol, museums and memorials.
For Wade, Arlington National Cemetery was the most meaningful place she visited.
“Seeing all the graves really put in perspective how freedom is never free,” Wade says, “and that there are hundreds of thousands of men and women who risk their lives and die for me every day, so I can live free.”
Hayden says the youth tour influenced her future goals and perspective.
“When we went to the Capitol building, I realized how much work it takes to become a politician in Washington,” Hayden says. “Listening to the speakers at the Capitol helped me realize that if you work hard and stay determined you can do anything you put your mind to.”
On Capitol Hill, the students were engaged and appreciative of the opportunity to discuss important issues with congressional staff members and U.S.
Sen. Rand Paul. They spoke up for electric cooperatives, asking about FEMA reform and how to make sure Kentucky co-ops are adequately served by FEMA. They also asked about artificial intelligence and the nation’s future.
The week also included a walking tour of the memorials on the National Mall, stops at the Smithsonian museums, the White House Visitor Center, the World War I Memorial, the Holocaust Museum and the National Air and Space Museum.
At Arlington National Cemetery, the students watched the Changing of the Guard and members of the Kentucky delegation laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
“It is a privilege to spend a week in Washington, D.C., with some of Kentucky’s brightest young leaders,” says Mallory Wafzig, the statewide association’s manager of cooperative outreach. “As they walk in the footsteps of our nation’s founders and experience our democracy firsthand, they are inspired to lead, serve and make a difference in their own communities.”
Wafzig thanked the chaperones who helped lead and support the students throughout the week, notably West Kentucky RECC’s Andrea Phillips.
