Tanyssa Olfason of Northome High School selected as the Paul Bunyan Communications Youth Tour Essay Contest Winner

(Bemidji, MN) (April 4, 2013) – – Paul Bunyan Communications has selected Tanyssa Olafson as the winner of the cooperative’s 2013 Youth Tour Essay Contest. She will attend the 2013 Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) Youth Tour in Washington, D.C. June 1-5, with all expenses paid by Paul Bunyan Communications.

The trip features a comprehensive overview of the telecommunications industry, including careers in telecom, the critical role telecommunications plays in rural America, and how legislative and regulatory decisions affect the industry. The tour allows youth to meet with members of Congress who represent rural constituents. They also participate in educational sessions about the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Students visit some of the nation’s most historic sites, including the war memorials, the Smithsonian Museums, and a beautiful night tour of our Washington D.C.

"The FRS Youth Tour is a unique opportunity for a local student from our area to visit Washington D.C. to gain a better perspective on how regulatory decisions impact our cooperative and rural areas such as ours. Tanyssa will also get the chance to see a lot of historic sites in our nation’s capital!" said Brian Bissonette, Paul Bunyan Communications Marketing Supervisor.

The Foundation for Rural Service is dedicated to informing and to improving the quality of life throughout rural America. Each year, it organizes the Youth Tour, designed to educate rural youth about the telecommunications industry and the federal political process. The FRS is a subsidiary of the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association (NTCA), of which Paul Bunyan Communications is a member.

This is the 17th consecutive year that Paul Bunyan Communications has participated in sending a local high school junior to the Youth Tour.