On Sunday morning, Judy Ha was Steamboat Springs-bound.
She was one of three Montezuma County students selected by Empire Electric for the 2015 Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp in Steamboat, which takes place July 11-16.
Last November, each applicant was given an application packet, which asked a variety of questions regarding themselves, their interests, and their hobbies. There was a required essay on leadership, and the choice of including a creative piece.
Judy Ha made a collage, putting the photos into a hand-shaped cutout. “I went on Pinterest and gathered pictures that described me,” said Ha.
Her essay discussed her plans, which include teaching in developing countries.
This week, Ha will experience an all-expense paid trip funded by the Empire Electric’s board of directors. The camp takes place at a resort by the Elk River. More than 100 students from Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Wyoming attend the camp each year.
The students will tour Trapper Coal Mine and the Craig Station Power plant, which is the largest electricity-generating station in Colorado. They will go rafting and take part in many other activities geared toward improving each individual’s personal goals. They will learn about the rural electric cooperative program, state and national legislatures, energy prices, and power generation.
Ha is an honor roll student, involved in the Cortez High School Student Government, on the Youth Leadership Council, and is part of the swim team and track team. Last week she had just gotten back from the TRIO Upward Bound Camp, a four week camp at Fort Lewis, where she took college style classes and went on a week long Colorado college tour.
Empire Electric’s board of directors offer two youth trips every year, one to Steamboat Springs and one to Washington, D.C.
Applications for 2016 trips open to high school juniors in November.