Kaylie Lundahl describes herself as not super social. Add to that the fact that she moved from Littleton and her junior year was the first year in Colorado City and at Rye High School. San Isabel Electric and other rural cooperatives around the United States made that transition to a new place easier.
Lundahl was one of three winners of the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour 2022. Along with Edwin Diemer and Monika Hernandez of Hoehne she won an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. She returned home with a dozen new friends, and a list of experiences to remember for a life time.
“The very first night at a Chipolte’s,” Kaylie shared, “I was going to sit at a table by myself, and one of the chaperones suggested I sit at a table with a young man. It was clear that both of us were shy. His name was Oliver and we both just ate our food without a word until the chaperone came over and asked a bunch of questions she knew the answers to. Then another member of the group, Elizabeth, came over and, within a few minutes, we were all visiting.”
By the time Lundahl got home, she counted 11 other people from the group of 50 as friends
Lundahl, with over 1800 other youth from the United States, got close up and personal opportunities to meet politicians from their state, watch how government works, and visit historical sites during the week trip.
Before heading for Washington D.C. Lundahl and the Colorado Contingent got to tour the state capital and meet Governor Jared Polis. They hobnobbed with local senators and legislators and got insight into how the legislative process moved.
They also got looks into cooperatives and things like safety demonstration for power company linemen, which Lundahl described as “super cool.” They were challenged to learn what happened when a light switch is turned on, and worked on diagrams of how energy moved from one place to another.
When they arrived in Baltimore they started out at Fort McHenry and ended up at the Kennedy Center for the event Lundahl described as her favorite of the trip, a showing of the Jersey Boys.
“I have an artistic leaning,” she explained. “I’m not in to politics or religion too much but I absolutely loved the play. I’ve seen a lot of plays and this was the first thing I talked about when I got home. The crowd was pumped, the lights bright and beautiful, and everyone enjoyed it.
In between Fort McHenry and the Kennedy Center the group saw Mount Vernon, the National Cathedral, the Jefferson Memorial, the White House, the Air Force Memorial, a Washington-Philadelphia baseball game, the Pentagon and more.
“The Smithsonian was really amazing,” she opined. “We were late to Ford Theatre, but got walked through and the events with Lincoln were described. Some of the things a Littleton-Colorado City girl would have never experienced before. Like the day fifty students and their chaperones went for a ride on the Subway at 8:00 a.m. on a workday. “It was crazy,” Lundahl remembered. “None of us had been on a subway and we had to watch the chaperones to know when to get on and get off. Lot’s of people in a hurry to get to work pushed by us and we did our best to stay together.”
They all made it to Capital Hill (and back) and had the opportunity to meet Senators Michael Bennett and John Hickenlooper, and Colorado Representative Lauren Boebert.
Not everyplace was fun. On Saturday during Youth Day the group toured the Holocaust Museum.
“They told us to stay together but I got separated from the group really early,” shared Lundahl in a subdued voice. “I was completely alone and didn’t know anyone and went into audio rooms where survivors of the Holocaust would tell what they had been through. One room was full of nothing but shoes that were worn and burned. It was really upsetting.”
That was followed by a trip to Arlington Cemetery and, although Lundahl recognized the sadness, it had in her words a ‘different feel’. A beautiful place, a place of honor.
“One of my favorite people on the tour was a girl named Kianna from Colorado Springs,” shared Lundahl. “She was everyone’s friend. She was such a good person to be around and you could tell she really wanted to get to know about you as a person.”
It was such a neat event,” Lundahl summarized. “It was so worth it. Moving to Colorado City was hard. I feel like people are more private than in Littleton. They seem more opinionated. But this trip helped me learn that what a lot of people have told me is true: If you open yourself up and be involved, things will change. Your life can change from miserable to having a blast.
San Isabel Electric is accepting applications for the 2023 trip. Applications are due November 30. Information is available at siea.com/youthleadership