Moments prior to boarding the bus for the annual Electric and Telephone Cooperatives Youth Tour to Washington in 2023, Aubrey Lawson was feeling a little nervous. It was a long way from Springfield, Ill., to the nation’s capital, and she didn’t know anyone. Aubrey needn’t have worried. She and three other girls — Sophia Hartke, Rae Stucki and Paris Van Dyke — became fast friends. They had no idea that their paths would cross again, and on yet another unique adventure.
According to the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), the idea for an electric cooperative youth tour originated at the organization’s annual meeting in 1957. It was there that then Senator Lyndon Johnson addressed members, stating, “If one thing comes out of this meeting, it will be sending youngsters to the national capital where they can actually see what the flag stands for and represents.”
“[Youth Tour] is so much more than sightseeing,” says Brooke Gross, facilitator of youth programs at the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives (AIEC), which organizes the annual event. “It’s about building relationships, learning leadership and showing that [kids] have the power to shape their communities and futures.”
For Aubrey, Sophia, Rae and Paris, truer words were never spoken.
In 1958, Illinois sent students for the first time. Today, more than 1,500 kids from across the nation take part each year. One important aspect of the annual event is the selection of each state’s Youth Leadership Council representative.
In the 1970s, NRECA created a youth board to broaden the impact of youth programs beyond the annual tour. In the late ’90s, that board became the Youth Leadership Council (YLC), which focuses on developing the skillsets of its 45 delegates, particularly in the areas of leadership, advocacy and communications, as well as the cooperative spirit of service and collaboration.
During the 2023 trip, Paris was selected by her peers to represent Illinois. “Before going on Youth Tour, I had a friend, [a former] YLC, and he had reached out to me and told me about the opportunity. So, before going on the trip, I was thinking, ‘I really want to apply for this,’” she explains.
To be selected, applicants must deliver a speech to their peers. Paris chose to share her experience on a missionary trip to Mexico with her fellow attendees.
“I served with a mission called Casas por Cristo, where we build homes for Christ. … They taught you how to do electrical; they taught you how to do drywall and all of that,” explains Paris. “It was great, because I had this story to be able to tell. Looking back, I realized it all happened for a reason, because when we were on the trip, [they] asked, ‘Okay, who wants to do the electrical?’ No one raised their hand, so I’m like, ‘I’ll give it a shot.’ So, they taught me how to wire the house, and I wired the whole house.
“That really put it into perspective [regarding] electric cooperatives, so I talked about power and electricity in the speech,” she continues. “I went on to use that when I was the YLC, to apply to be the national spokesperson at PowerXchange. … It was neat to see how that all played a part in the journey.”
“I specifically remember Paris’ speech … There were maybe five people who interviewed,” says Rae. “Her confidence and poise … I was like, ‘She’s going to be the president.’”
During the trip, Rae, Aubrey and Sophia discovered Paris had also been Little Miss Clay County Fair Queen in 2012 and Junior Miss in 2017. She says the experience she gained competing in those pageants, among other things, helped prepare her for the YLC interview and her time on the council.
“I grew up doing [FFA] Creed Speaking and 4-H [and] pageantry,” she explains. “I was given so many opportunities to make connections, to learn how to have those one-on-one conversations with people, and just networking.”
Like Paris, the rest of the girls were also involved in Future Farmers of America (FFA) and 4-H. And soon after that trip to D.C., all four young women would possess something else in common — a crown.
Paris, who was sponsored by Wabash Communications CO-OP to go on the 2023 Youth Tour and whose parents are Clay County Electric Co-operative members, was crowned Miss Clay County Fair Queen in 2024.
Aubrey, sponsored by EnerStar Electric Cooperative for the 2023 trip, was crowned Miss Edgar County Fair Queen in 2024.
Rae, sponsored by Eastern Illini Electric Cooperative, was crowned Miss Iroquois County Fair Queen in 2025.
And Sophia, also sponsored by Eastern Illini, was crowned Miss Champaign County Fair Queen in 2025.
“A previous fair queen encouraged me to do it, so the thought was in my head,” says Rae of a conversation they had on the trip. “But at the same time, I had a stereotyped idea of pageants. … It wasn’t until I talked to more down-to-earth girls that I [realized] this is actually a good experience, something I want to take part in.”
“I feel like pageants get the stereotype that [they are] superficial. You’re wearing a dress, you’re wearing heels, like you have to be this beauty queen,” Aubrey elaborates. “But the county fair system is not like that at all. It’s more about service and being a part of your community. It’s [on] a much deeper level than people think.”
Sophia says Aubrey encouraged her to give her county fair pageant a chance. “I know nothing about dresses or makeup or how to be on a stage … so that really wasn’t up my alley, but she talked me into it. She said you get to practice your interview skills, [that] it’s a great leadership opportunity, [and] you get to make great connections with the girls you’re competing with,” she recalls.
“I had to learn how to do makeup and how to curl my hair … I was a hot mess,” Sophia laughs. “[But] I really did like the agriculture part of it. I noticed that much like a co-op board, a fair board is in it as a team. They’re not in it to make money — they do it because they love the community that a county fair builds. … I feel like that’s really similar with how a co-op functions, because they do it for the benefit of the people they serve.”
“[Another] big parallel [is] just how much one member of a community can make a huge impact across the board,” says Aubrey. “I had a chaperone that worked [at my cooperative] who took me to Youth Day. That’s just the same as meeting a member of your county fair board … just being able to see the individual people who are putting in the work behind the scenes, and how it plays into a broader picture. Like, this is EnerStar Electric Cooperative, and this is AIEC … and then the same with my county fair board, and then this is the Illinois Association of Agricultural Affairs.”
Rae adds that the connections made during Youth Tour and pageants pop up in the most random of places. “You’re going to see each other in [different] scenarios.”
“You can see it with me, Rae, Sophia and Paris,” Aubrey explains. “We’ve met multiple times. We wanted to be involved in our cooperatives. We wanted to be involved in ag affairs. It’s cool to see how people intertwine if they care about their county.”
Paris draws an unexpected comparison; one she experienced when she introduced herself to thousands of attendees at NRECA’s annual PowerXChange. “It was like a Miss Universe moment. … I’ve always dreamt of being Miss Universe,” she laughs.
Beyond the poise and polish, however, these ladies are not afraid to get dirty. That could mean catching a greased pig, showing sheep or participating in the annual barnyard scramble — crown and all. “I grew up chasing pigs at home,” says Paris. “So, nothing new, you just chase the pig and catch it.”
Rae’s favorite event at the county fair has always been the demolition derby, and as queen, she had the opportunity to enjoy the show from the stage. “I was so excited,” she laughs. “[But] I was so mad, because no mud was flying at me.”
Paris remembers her favorite moment vividly. “I had just competed at state in the prelims … I walked into this room, and there’s 85 people from my county who came to watch me at the pageant, and I just started sobbing, because I realized how many people love and support me,” she says. “That was the moment I realized, this is what it’s about. It’s about community. It’s about being the type of leader people not only want to show up for but support. … It’s a beautiful thing to be a part of.”
Likewise, Sophia was given a box full of letters. “[It was] like everyone who had ever met me in my life showed up to support me and to write me a nice message,” she says. “I still have that box, and I’m going to keep it forever, because that was the kindest thing I’ve ever experienced.”
“It sounds crazy that four of us from the same trip became fair queens, but I really don’t think it’s a coincidence at all,” says Rae, noting their similar personalities. “I remember we were walking [on Youth Tour] … there were a bunch of Marines, and we all just stopped and had the longest conversation with them. … [We] like to take the time to talk to people.”
Aubrey says it’s about being able to take the initiative to have these experiences.
“It takes initiative to apply to Youth Tour, [and] it takes initiative to compete in a pageant — [and] having the desire to lead and the desire to be put in opportunities to grow, we all shared that, too,” she adds. “It will probably bring us back together multiple times.”
“I don’t think you can fail if you’re trying,” says Paris. “Just because you don’t get the crown, or the business doesn’t end up working out, whatever it may be, you’re still learning and growing from that, and that’s winning in life, in my opinion.”
Aubrey believes Youth Tour cultivated their inherent skills. “We were able to talk to our state representatives. We had the opportunity, as teenage girls, to meet these people,” she says. “It made me realize how big, but how small, the world is … as long as you’re going out there and making an effort, you are able to impact people.”
“It built our confidence so much,” adds Rae.
All four agree that these kinds of opportunities are safe spaces to grow. “[There’s not] too much fear of failure,” says Aubrey.
“I think that being a part of the co-op trip and being a fair queen, it just really resonated with me that community service is something that you can keep doing no matter what your goals are in life,” says Sophia. “It instilled in me that you can serve your community no matter what you are doing or what stage of life you’re in. … You grow along with it.”
On a more personal level, she adds that she learned more about herself than anything. “I learned a lot about what it means to be a part of [a co-op], and what it means to advocate for agriculture by being a fair queen,” she adds. “Those are all wonderful things that I learned, but I would say more than anything, I grew in myself and in my character.”
To students thinking about Youth Tour — or those considering pageantry, Sophia says, “You have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain by participating in either one or both of those experiences. You have to just take it all in … and appreciate the fact that you get to go on one of these trips, because it really [is] a gift,” she adds. “I will remember stories from my bus forever.”
