Rylee Smith and John Zottman represent co-op on 2026 Washington Youth Tour
Taylor County RECC students Rylee Smith and John Zottman represented their co-op in June on the 2026 Washington Youth Tour.
Sponsored by Taylor County RECC, Smith, a Green County High School student, and Zottman, a Taylor County High School student, joined rising young leaders from electric cooperative communities across Kentucky for the weeklong experience coordinated by Kentucky Electric Cooperatives and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
The trip is designed to help students experience American history, civic engagement and their role as citizens and electric cooperative members. For Smith, the week offered a broader view of the country and the people around her.
“I really enjoyed spending a week learning about so many things I didn’t think about before,” Smith says. “The youth tour trip has taught me so many things about our nation, our founders and the people around me.”
The Taylor County 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.
On Capitol Hill, students were engaged and appreciative of the opportunity to discuss important issues with congressional staff members and U.S. Senator 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.
Zottman says some of his favorite memories came between official stops, when students had time to connect.
“The bus rides allowed me to have more time to meet new friends,” Zottman says. “I am so incredibly grateful for these memories and friends I have made on this trip that will stick with me for the rest of my life.”
“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.”
(2026 Washington Youth Tour & Tim Webb)