By Charlie Hensley

What is going on in Washington, D.C.?  Plenty of people are asking that very question right now.

When I went inside the Beltway this summer for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Youth to Washington Tour, sponsored by the McDonough Power Cooperative, I saw people rallying around our country and our president. While I was in D.C., I felt a vibe that wasn’t there the last time I got to visit. Is the president of the United States at odds with everyone in the world, or is he just doing what voters sent him there to do? Everyone has an opinion.

You cannot pick up any publication, turn on any television, or even get on Twitter without hearing, seeing or reading about what’s going on in our nation’s capital. What happens in that city affects lives all across our country and around the world.

During our time in D.C., President Donald Trump was in North Korea talking nuclear weapons. We figured he must not have heard our group of Illinois teenagers was coming to town! 

While there, we toured monuments, museums and embassies. We met with our representatives and senators, which for me included U.S. Rep. Darin Lahood, R-Peoria, and Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. Other representatives included U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Moline; U.S. Rep. John Shimkus, R-Collinsville; and U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Channahon. My favorite visit was to Arlington Cemetery because of what it symbolizes. It’s amazing to think of all of those men and women who fought and died for our country.

One thing I had to do while I was there? I had to get a “Make America Great Again” hat. My dad has a “Make Corn Great Again” hat at home, so I figure if we work together, we can and will make America even better!

TOGETHER: I brought home the “Make America Great Again” hat to pair with my dad’s corn hat.

When I returned home, my parents asked what my favorite part of the trip was. For sure, the best part was spending time making new friends from other parts of the state. The 71 students on the trip came from 27 different electric and telephone cooperatives around the state. I met friends from the Quincy area, the Champaign area and even met a girl from Metropolis. I still keep in touch with the friends I made and recently ran into one of them at the Illinois State Fair. Making connections with these new friends was what this trip was all about for me.

That’s a lot of what our cooperatives are about: working with others to accomplish a common goal that benefits everyone involved.

And really, that’s the best thing that was happening in Washington, D.C., this summer.

Hensley is a senior at Bushnell-Prairie City High School. His parents farm near Bushnell, and he was one of 1,800 students nationwide who were selected for the Youth to Washington tour this summer. Rural cooperatives have sent more than 60,000 students to D.C. since 1964.