One of the most incredible opportunities that Youth Tour students
have – specifically Iowa Youth Tour students – is running with Senator Chuck
Grassley one morning before going out for the day’s activities. Today was that
day. 23 of the 34 students woke up around 3:30am to get ready and meet in the lobby
so that we could meet Senator Grassley at 4:15am. Senator Grassley, the 80 year
old ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, ran with the students for
about three miles, and I’m not sure who was more prepared for the run.
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| Students started the day early by running with Sen. Grassley |
Regardless – it was a phenomenal experience and we had a
great turnout. The students seemed to thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to have
some extra time talking to Senator Grassley about things that truly matter to
them, and we certainly appreciate his willingness to allow us to run with him.
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| Sen. Grassley answers a question from a student |
After the run it was back to the hotel to get ready for a
big day on the Hill. We had meetings scheduled with five Members of Congress –
Reps. Braley, Latham, Loebsack, and King and Senators Harkin and Grassley. Each
representative met with the students that were from their particular district,
and both of our senators meet with the entire group of students, engaging in
true open dialogue for quite some time. The students were really quite impressive
in demonstrating their understanding of tough issues and posing meaningful
questions. The day on the Hill truly allows Youth Tour to show the distinction
of our group of students.
While at the capitol, the students also went on a regular
tour and ate lunch in the cafeteria.
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| Students pose with Sen. Harkin inside the Hart Senate Office Building |
Following the day on the hill, we visited the United States
Holocaust Museum – a solemn reminder of one of the most shameful periods of
time for political leadership.
The students then went to the all-states Farewell Dinner and
Dance – where they currently are (supervision and security by NRECA) – while the
chaperones enjoyed a dinner in DC after an exhausting week of chasing our
sunshines all across the city.
We are all exhausted. Hopefully all of the students are too. For those who went on the run, we're looking at about 20,000 steps for the day and today marked a record high temperature for DC. Tomorrow is the last day! Fingers crossed for good weather, safe travels, and
minimal delays. On schedule for tomorrow is the Newseum, National Cathedral,
and Iowa!
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| Students were asked to vote on their favorite chaperone/intern and unanimously agreed on Dalton Schmit - in this photo he reacts to the vote |
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