Youth Tour “Once-in-a-Lifetime” Chance

After a whirlwind five days in Washington, D.C., Moorefield High Senior Brooke Shockey said the Foundation for Rural Service Youth Tour was an experience “that I will never forget.”

“I was able to meet people from all over the country and make new friends,” she said.

Brooke and East Hardy High Senior Parker Baranowski attended the Youth Tour June 2-6.  All of their expenses were paid by Hardy Telecommunications.

East Hardy High Senior Parker Baranowski (left) and Moorefield High Senior Brooke Shockey tour the U.S. Capitol during the 2012 Foundation for Rural Service Youth Tour in Washington, D.C.

The FRS Youth Tour is designed to teach rural youth about telecommunications while also giving them an opportunity to tour our nation’s capital. The trip included sightseeing as well as a visit to the Federal Communications Commission, where four commissioners spoke and answered student questions.

Parker said the tour provided a “once-in-a-lifetime” feeling.

“Exploring the capital of our great nation with what started as strangers made it feel as if you had known those other students all of your life,” he said.

About 100 students from across the United States took part in this year’s tour. In addition to the FCC and U.S. Capitol, the group visited the National Cathedral; Mount Vernon; Arlington National Cemetery; the Smithsonian Museums on the National Mall; the Vietnam, Korean, and World War II war memorials; the Marine Corps Iwo Jima Memorial; and the Lincoln Memorial.

Brooke said the tour offered a good blend of sightseeing and educational sessions about telecommunications.

“It is hard to pick my favorite part of the trip. However, I enjoyed visiting the war memorials best,” she said.

Parker and Brooke visit the Federal Communications Commission, where four commissioners spoke to the students and answered questions.

Both urged rising juniors to apply for the 2013 tour.

“I would encourage anyone else who had even a slight interest in telecommunications to participate in the tour,” Parker said.

Brooke shared the same sentiments.

“I would like to thank Hardy Telecommunications for giving me this amazing opportunity. I never would have met so many new people, seen the extraordinary sights of D.C., or learned so much about rural telecommunications if I had not been given the chance to attend the 2012 FRS Youth Tour.  I strongly encourage others to apply for this once-in-a-lifetime chance, they will not regret it,” she said.

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