South Carolina

Aiken Electric Cooperative 2010 delegates: Corey, Ashley, Ethan, Ashlynn, Marci, Holly and Dai Dai.

Black River Electric Cooperative 2010 delegates: Nishikwa and Karon

Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative 2010 delegates: Anna Leigh and Andrew

Broad River Electric Cooperative 2010 delegates: Nida, Austin and Holland

Coastal Electric Cooperative 2010 delegate: Morgan McCaskill

Edisto Electric Cooperative 2010 delegates: Kaitlin and Jason

Fairfield Electric Cooperative 2010 delegates: Kat, Andy and Danielle

Horry Electric Cooperative 2010 delegates: Aimi and Peter

Laurens Electric Cooperative 2010 delegates: Curry, Tavion and Heather

Little River Electric Cooperative 2010 delegates: Margaret Anne and Chandler

Lynches River Electric Cooperative delegates: Rachel and Shelby

Marlboro Electric Cooperative 2010 delegates: Andrew and Melody

Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative 2010 delegates: Nick and Savannah

Newberry Electric Cooperative 2010 delegates: Sarah and Hannah

Palmetto Electric Cooperative 2010 delegates: Weslee, Reid and Madeleine

Santee Electric Cooperative 2010 delegates: Sydney and William

Tri-County Electric Cooperative 2010 delegates: Justin and Devante

York Electric Cooperative 2010 delegates: Tanna and Michelle

Flight information, hotel rules, info on meals, Tour stops -- now they've heard it all.

Let the bonding begin! Roommates get one of the guys to take their picture.

Ashlyn Stephenson of New Ellenton represents Aiken Electric Cooperative. Her parents, Terrie and Rick Stephenson, are employed by Aiken and Edisto co-ops, respectively.

Kat Matthews, of White Oak, is representing Fairfield Electric Cooperative.

No, she's not an American Idol contestant. This is Danielle' Broome, our representative from Fairfield Electric Cooperative.

Margaret Anne Christie, of Plum Branch, is representing Little River Electric Cooperative.

Aimi Nguyen of Myrtle Beach is one of the students sponsored by Horry Electric Cooperative.

Melody McColl, of Clio, is representing Marlboro Electric Cooperative.

Sarah Wicker of Prosperity represents Newberry Electric Cooperative.

Savannah Fitts is representing Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative.

Chandler Saylors, with the microphone, is representing Little River Electric Cooperative.

Heather Lamp, of Gray Court, is representing Laurens Electric Cooperative.

Nishikwa Mellerson of Manning introduces herself as Dai Dai El-Hammani and tour co-director Van O'Cain listen. The other co-director for the Youth Tour is Lindsey Smith, also of the Electric Cooperatives of S.C., Inc., the co-ops' state association.

Dai Dai El-Hammami will represent Aiken Electric Cooperative.

Before orientation, almost everyone is a stranger.

Time for a little meet-and-greet activity.

Co-op employees from around the state serve as chaperones on the Youth Tour. From left are Kristin Keller of Palmetto Electric Cooperative, Emily Stowe of Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative, Susan Thompson and Cameron Moore of Laurens Electric Cooperative, and Bernard Beaty of Horry Electric Cooperative.

Youth Tour co-director Van O'Cain welcomes students and their parents to orientation, which is held at Fairfield Electric Cooperative's Blythewood office each May.

Andrew Cobb, of Anderson, is representing Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative.

Hi, my name is Ethan Busbee, and I'm from Wagener.

Corey Neal, an Aiken Electric delegate, is already a working journalist. We look forward to his posts, blogs and other reports from D.C.

Andy Taylor, sponsored by Fairfield Electric, has a name that's easy to remember -- at least for those of us of "a certain age."

Karon Hilton is representing Black River Electric Cooperative.

Here's Justin Mood of Elloree, representing Tri-County Electric Cooperative. In the foreground are backpacks that all students received -- with t-shirts and Youth Tour ID cards, etc.

Shelby Lawrence checks out her color-coded Youth Tour t's, to be worn on different days of the five-day trip. Shelby, from Pageland, will represent Lynches River Electric Cooperative.

York's Tanna Bolin represents York Electric Cooperative.