Braelyn Lewis remembered taking a quick peek at her email while no one was looking. After all, the Huckabay High School junior said she felt a little bored in class on that day in February. 

Days before, her mother had seen a Facebook post for United Cooperative Services’ 2026 Government-in-Action Youth Tour and had encouraged her to enter. Lewis turned in her one-page essay just before deadline and moved on with teenaged life. Then, as she scrolled, one email suddenly grabbed her attention.

 “I read it, and then I reread it, and I just started screaming in class,” she said. “Everyone just looked at me. I kind of forgot I was in public for a second. They were like, ‘Are you OK?’ And, I said “Yeah! I just found out I am going to Washington, D.C.!”

Lewis was one of three that day who learned they’d won an all-expenses-paid trip to the nation’s capital from their co-op. They would join 145 other students to form the Texas contingent for the 2026 Government-in-Action Youth Tour.

As United again prepares to open up entries for the 2027 Youth Tour on Nov. 23, we caught up with United’s most recent winners to find out how their weeklong experience shaped them. Not only did all three say they enjoyed seeing the sights and meeting new people, they also learned a lot about themselves in the process. 

 

An All-American Experience

Youth Tour gives high school students from electric cooperative communities the opportunity to experience Washington, D.C. They learn about the electric cooperative industry and the U.S. government, meet elected officials, visit historic landmarks and build friendships with students from across Texas and the nation. 

 “The students who take the initiative to participate in this contest are not your typical teens,” said Jeff Pannell, United’s vice president of business and community development. “These students will someday be leaders in their communities and have successful careers. Youth Tour serves as a major leadership-building experience that’s hidden inside an amazing trip. United sponsors these students to participate in the Youth Tour Program because we want to nurture the future leaders who live in our communities.”

In June, Texas students converged in Austin before taking flight to Washington and joining 1,800 students from around the country. This year’s attendees experienced an extra dose of patriotism as celebrations for America’s 250th birthday were underway, said Cassie Rousch, the Youth Tour & Conference Coordinator. The Texas group even traveled to Washington, D.C., aboard the Southwest Airlines jet, “Independence One” painted in patriotic livery. 

“Youth Tour gives students a chance to experience independence while still having the support and structure of the program,” she said. “During parts of the trip, we provide meal money and allow them to explore designated areas of Washington, D.C., with their new friends. They learn to manage their time and money, navigate an unfamiliar city, make decisions, and connect with people they may have just met. For many students, it is their first experience with that level of freedom and responsibility, and it can make future milestones, like leaving for college or entering a new environment, feel much more manageable.”

Finding Their Way

Prinsha Niraula, a senior at Joshua High School, said she couldn’t wait to leave for Washington. 

Initially skeptical that her Youth Tour acceptance email was legitimate, the Nepal native called United to confirm the news. Once she learned it wasn’t spam or a scam, she could hardly believe she was about to embark on her first adventure in her new country. 

“I was so excited,” she said. “This was my first ever time traveling alone without my family. I have been here for three years only, and it was my first ever place to travel in the U.S. outside of Texas.”

Before leaving for Washington, all the students met with Youth Tour officials and chaperones, met their roommates and were briefed on how Youth Tour operates.  

Lewis said while winning a spot on Youth Tour made her do a victory dance in the school parking long, she was overwhelmed once she arrived at the hotel in Austin. A self-described introvert, she said she felt intimidated at the number of students making up the Texas assembly.

 “I go to get my room at the hotel, and all these kids just start flooding in,” she said. “I call my parents and I’m like, ‘Take me out. I can’t do it,’ I was so scared. They were like ‘No, this will be good for you.’ I got to my room and I met my roommates. We got along. That was awesome. When we got to D.C., I had already met people. I had new friends, and we were already messaging on Instagram. It was fine once we were there.”

Bailey Stone, a junior at Granbury High School, said she, too, was nervous about meeting new people before the trip. Once she arrived, however, she quickly began making connections and feeling more comfortable.

“I walked into this whole week in D.C. as a giant networking opportunity,” she said. “I met another kid, his name was Tate, and we talked about college stuff. He had gotten into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and that was one of my dream schools. So, it was really nice to meet people who were like-minded and could help me get where I wanted to be.”

 

Powerful Places

Youth Tour students visited top sightseeing spots such as the U.S. Capitol building, where they met with representatives’ staffers. They also stopped by Arlington National Cemetery, Mount Vernon and the Smithsonian Institutions and enjoyed a Potomac River boat cruise with dinner and dancing.

Niraula said she was struck by the beauty of the Washington National Cathedral on the first day. But it was on her second day that she discovered the museum that had the greatest impact on her trip.

“There’s one place that’s still stuck in my head, and that’s the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum,” she said. “I saw this place where there were just like shoes of people who had died. That just shattered my heart.” 

When visiting the Capitol building, Stone was surprised to learn that Rep. Roger Williams’ staffer knew where Huckabay was located, and that there were people in the nation’s capital who were familiar with her small town.

“It was really crazy because any time I travel and I talk about Huckabay, people are like ‘what is that,’” she said. “It’s crazy to see that even all the way in Washington, D.C., there are people there who know about my hometown. And that was just so unique and cool to know.”

Stone said she was inspired by visiting the Library of Congress and seeing actual documents from the founding of the United States. She also enjoyed touring Mount Vernon to see George and Martha Washington’s plantation on the banks of the Potomac River.

However, the Marine Corps Sunset Parade at the Iwo Jima Memorial made the most lasting impact on her, she said.

“I’m in Marine Corps JROTC,” she said. “I’ve been to Harlingen, and I’ve seen the replica of the Iwo Jima Monument at the Marine Military Academy. But seeing the actual Iwo Jima monument in D.C. was insane. The silent drill company, I am amazed. They don’t talk while they are doing it. That’s hard. So, it was really, really amazing.”

 

The Freedom to Grow

All three of United’s Youth Tour participants said that, if they had the opportunity, they’d do it again. 

Niraula said that participating brought history to life for her in a way that reading textbooks just can’t. 

Traveling alone also gave her an opportunity to make new friends and expand her own horizons.

“This was like one of the best things that could have ever happened to me,” she said. “Traveling alone made me more confident about myself. I did wonder, ‘What if nobody’s going to talk to me? What if nobody’s going to be my friend?’ When I entered the hotel in Austin and saw people, they were just like, ‘Come sit with us,’ and I was like “Oh, wow. These are nice people, maybe I can make some friends. Then, I started talking to everyone.” 

Stone said the freedom to maneuver around the city in groups of three felt daunting at first. Despite getting lost several times, she said her group worked together and found their way around. By doing so, she said, she found self-confidence not only to navigate Washington, but also her life as she prepares for college and beyond.

“Honestly, I think that’s one of the best things I’ve ever done,” she said. “We got lost so many times. It was scary at first, but I think I’m a better person for it. I’m not as worried about going somewhere by myself, and I’m not as nervous about going to college by myself. I definitely pushed myself out of my comfort zone.

“I would do it over and over and over again if I could.” 

Lewis said she’s glad her parents made her stay. Once the initial fear of leaving home wore off and new friends were made, she found herself enjoying the adventure and having the time of her life.

“I came home, and some of my closest friends since kindergarten asked me, ‘What happened to you? Who is this new person?’ You come back so changed. It really does affect you. I am so much more confident in myself.  But also confident in talking to people. The nerves, they wear away within the first couple of hours of being there. They call it the trip of a lifetime, and it really is. It was a whole different experience.”