D.C. trip valuable for area student

For Jayhawk-Linn High School Senior Stephanie Harp, spending a week in Washington D.C. this summer was something she didn’t imagine was possible.
“It has totally changed me,” she said of her time on the 2010 Government in Action Youth Tour. “It brought Washington to life.”
The daughter of Heartland REC members Jary and Tamara Harp, Stephanie joined 31 other youth representing Kansas Rural Electric Cooperatives for the 50th Annual “Government in Action” Youth Tour June 10-17.
The students began their trip touring the state capitol in Topeka followed by visits to the Wolf Creek Nuclear Power Plant and the Lyon-Coffey Electric Cooperative before flying to Washington, D.C. The group learned about the U.S. government through visits with Congressman Jerry Moran and Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins, meetings with youth from other states and tours of museums, Capitol Hill, Arlington National Cemetery and the White House.
Stephanie said one of her favorite places was the Smithsonian, where she enjoyed everything from the butterfly exhibit to the skeletons on display.
“They have a blue whale hanging from the ceiling,” she said.
The Newseum was another stop that gave her a hands-on experience with something previously seen only in textbooks.
“There was a big section of the Berlin Wall there, covered with graffiti,” said Stephanie. “I had never paid much attention at the time, but when I was standing there I said ‘wow.”
Overall, Stephanie said everything in Washington DC was bigger than she had expected.
“Lincoln is bigger than I thought he was, and the Capitol dome is huge,” said Stephanie.
Although the many memorials were surprisingly intimidating, the lawmakers Stephanie encountered during the trip were the opposite: down-to-earth and approachable.
“We got to sit and watch a Senate hearing,” said Stephanie. “It brought it to life. It wasn’t as intimidating as I thought it would be.”
Meeting with Kansas lawmakers was also refreshing.
“We spent about 15 minutes talking with Jerry Moran,” said Stephanie. “He seemed really nice.
Other highlights for Stephanie included the Jefferson Memorial, the Vietnam Wall, and the memorial to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, whose leadership created the REAs.
“The FDR memorial was my favorite,” said Stephanie. “It went in with nature. It was a very peaceful setting.”
One of the most powerful stops on the trip was at the Holocaust Museum, said Stephanie.
“We’ve heard about the Holocaust in class, but it’s like a story,” said Stephanie. “But when you see the shoes and the clothes...it brought it all to life. It really happened. And you wonder ‘How can this happen?’ It’s so disturbing.”
In addition to spending the week with the other students from Kansas, Stephanie said she quickly got to know other kids from across the country during various events during the trip.
“I met a lot of people, got to learn about everyone, and still talk to them on Facebook,” said Stephanie. “We were so busy, and so exhausted, but we’d still try to stay up late and talk.”
Stephanie says highlights of the trip will stay with her for years to come, including the opportunity to walk out the front door of the White House and the image of the setting sun shining on the city’s white marble monuments during a cruise on the Patomic.
“They glowed,” said Stephanie. “It was so cool.”
“I’m so glad I got to go on this trip,” said Stephanie. “There’s no way I could have done it without Heartland. I would have never been able to talk to a Senator.”
For Stephanie, Washington DC is now more than a city on a map and government is more than Senate hearings on C-Span.
“I feel like I’m a part of it now,” said Stephanie. “I’m voting next year.”

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