Lydia Huebner and Chasidy Nowicki are set to represent Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative when they join hundreds of other high school juniors and seniors in Washington, D.C., this summer for an immersive week of connection, education and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.

Huebner, a Bellville High School junior who lives in Industry, and Nowicki, a Brenham High School senior, were selected to represent Bluebonnet on the annual Government-in-Action Youth Tour. Alexis Macik, a senior at Snook High School, is the alternate representative and will join the tour if one of the winners is unable to attend.

Along with a weeklong all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., Huebner and Nowicki will each receive a $1,000 scholarship toward their higher education. The recipients were selected in March from among 15 applicants.

The tour, planned for June 16-24, will include visits to historic sites and the U.S. Capitol. Participants will meet members of Congress and attend events hosted by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and Texas Electric Cooperatives, the youth tour’s sponsors, organizers and hosts.

Huebner, who turns 17 this month, has been Bellville High School’s band drum major for two years and plays the French horn. She is also active with the local FFA chapter. She does volunteer work with her area’s Blessing Box project, helping cancer patients by sewing pockets on shirts and making pillows for use during post-treatment recovery.  She also has her own business creating floral arrangements.

Huebner says her drum-major experience and holding officer positions in FFA have given her leadership experience, as has serving on the student advisory board for the Bellville ISD superintendent. “I feel like leadership is something that you show to other people,” she said. “Good leaders are ready to work and be a role model.”

Huebner plans to attend a four-year university after graduating in 2025. She is unsure where she will focus her studies, but wants a career about which she is passionate. 

Nowicki, 18, of Brenham, is a cheerleader, FFA officer, member of the National Honor Society and a volunteer with children at the Cowboy Church of Brenham’s Sunday school. Her favorite volunteer experience is the Bucket Calf Program at the Washington County Fair, which teaches 4- to 8-year-old children the responsibilities of raising and caring for livestock.

She has years of volunteer and leadership experience as reporter for her local FFA chapter and as her high school’s spirit coordinator. These opportunities have helped her connect with others. “I am outgoing, welcoming to new people and open to hearing others' stories. It will really help when we are meeting new people from across the nation on the youth tour,” she said.

Nowicki plans to attend Texas A&M University in the fall to study agriculture communication. She wants a career in agriculture marketing, working as a brand ambassador to talk about the benefits of products at livestock shows across the state.

Macik, 18, of Caldwell, graduates from Snook High School at the end of this month. She participated in volleyball, basketball, track and field, and softball and was a high school cheerleader. She participated in 4-H, FFA, National Honor Society and the student council, and was the Burleson County Fair queen for 2022-2023. This fall, she plans to attend Texas A&M University to study marketing, and hopes to work for the Houston Astros.

“I am sure there were a lot of great applicants. It is special to be chosen as one of the winners,” Nowicki said. Huebner echoed that statement: “The opportunity and experience is a once-in-a-lifetime chance.”

Applicants were asked to list their academic accomplishments, extracurricular activities and community service work, and to submit a video answering the question, “If you had the opportunity to change one thing about your school or community, what would it be and why?”

Huebner had many compliments for her school in her video, but said she hopes more of her classmates would participate in extracurricular activities. That would lead to more engagement in the classroom and the community, she said. 

In her video, Nowicki said she believes that schools should prioritize agricultural education. “In my ag classes, I am learning to be a good steward of the land and furthering my education about the livestock industry. More people should know about the importance of it,” she said.

This is the 58th year of the Government-in-Action Youth Tour program. It has more than 50,000 alumni, including CEOs, state and national elected officials, and countless business and community leaders.