Contact: NOVEC Communications, 1-703-335-0500, communications@novec.com
MANASSAS, Va. -- Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative (NOVEC) sponsored three students from its service territory to attend the 2025 National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Youth Tour in Washington from June 16 to 20. Students learned about electric cooperatives, visited historical sites, and engaged with new friends from 46 states.
Sanjith Jeyaguru of Loudoun Valley High School, Isabel Amante of Battlefield High School in Prince William County, and Hadley Diamond of Foxcroft High School in Loudoun represented NOVEC. They were among 2,000 students, chaperones, and staff delegates from all over the country.
Students visited Congress, Arlington National Cemetery, the African American History Museum, several iconic monuments, and attended a Washington Nationals baseball game. During their visit to the U.S. Capitol, NOVEC delegates met with the legislative correspondent for Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, who represents Virginia’s 10th District. Students gained insight into the workings of the federal government, what legislative staffs do and the path they took to get there. They also had a chance to give a voice to causes they truly care about, including gun violence, bipartisan policymaking, and foreign relations.
On the final day of the tour a group of students from Virginia and Maryland visited NOVEC’s Gainesville Technical Center to learn firsthand about the people and infrastructure required to keep the lights on. An unexpected power outage that morning required an all-hands-on-deck response, so representatives from field services, engineering, and design distribution expanded their offerings to fill in for a presentation by lineworkers who had been called on to restore electricity. The last-minute shift provided students with an up-close look at the teamwork and on-the-job creativity that NOVEC employees display every day.
Throughout the trip, students broke the ice with their fellow students by exchanging pins representing their states. Each year the pins have become more creative, and the trading more intense. Sanjith collected pins from every state, making friends with each swap.
Applications for the 2026 Youth Tour will be available in January for high school sophomores or juniors.
