Ten students from six local high schools were selected to serve on Kankakee Valley REMC's first Junior Board of Directors. As part of this program, students will meet monthly until June.
Selected to the board include the following high school juniors: Brianna Irzyk and Damien Frasure from North Judson-San Pierre High School; Emma Gillard from Knox High School; Evan Meyer from Victory Christian Academy; Ryan Kratz from Kouts Middle/High School; Dylan Andrews from Washington Township High School; and Tri-Township High School students Mackenzie Schultz, Noah Doms, Addie Gorski, and Carter Welkie.
"The youth of our communities are the next generation of leaders. The Junior Board of Directors program allows youth to network with like-minded peers, business professionals, and their cooperative. We hope this dynamic group can provide insight into their generation's expectations for cooperatives like KV REMC," stated Amanda Steeb, director of marketing and communications for KV REMC.
Through this program, students will participate in fun activities that will help them strengthen their leadership skills and career development. They will interact with community leaders as they learn about unique opportunities within their home community. As a team, the students will complete a capstone project, including a community service project with a non-profit organization of their choice.
"There is a growing competition for talent in our community. We see many of our rural areas struggling to grow due to the number of youth not returning to their home communities post-college. We hope this program can highlight the unique opportunities close to home," stated Steeb.
Upon completing the program, students will receive a $1,000 scholarship courtesy of Kankakee Valley REMC.
Kankakee Valley REMC is a membership cooperative delivering power to more than 18,000 residential and commercial members in the rural areas of LaPorte, Porter, Lake, Stake, Marshall, Pulaski, and St. Joseph counties. In addition to the Junior Board of Directors program, KV REMC offers Youth Tour to Washington, D.C., Camp Kilowatt, Page Day at the State Capitol, and scholarships through Operation Round Up Trust. For more information, visit kvremc.com.
