Stephen Azar receives Cooperative Energy Leadership Award

Congratulations to St. Patrick Catholic High School Junior Stephen Azar, who received the Cooperative Energy Leadership Award and a $500 scholarship during the 2018 Electric Cooperatives of Mississippi Youth Leadership program! Azar was joined by Gage McClinton of Pearl River Central High School, Marion Pohl of Bay High School and Conner Thurtell of Long Beach High School.

Azar said, “The experience in Jackson provided me with the opportunity to build lasting relationships, develop my personal leadership skills, and discuss the current state of Mississippi with our leading politicians. It was an incredible three days.”

The purpose of these trips is to help students develop the confidence and ability to become better leaders in their schools and communities, stimulate their interest in governmental affairs and encourage their participation in the democratic process, inform them about their electric cooperative and the cooperative form of business, and foster interaction among students from communities throughout Mississippi and the nation. The three-day leadership workshop in Jackson focuses on developing the leadership skills of students who have demonstrated a desire to be a leader among their peers. Students meet with their elected officials and participate in leadership-building workshops and activities with students from around the state.

In June, Mississippi’s student delegation will join more than 1,700 high school juniors from 47 states across the nation at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s Youth Tour in Washington, D.C. During the week-long trip, students visit significant monuments and memorials, the White House, the Smithsonian Institution and much more. They meet Mississippi’s two senators and their respective representative at the U.S. Capitol.