Amelia Scherling of Bemidji selected as the Paul Bunyan Communications Youth Tour Essay Contest Winner

(Bemidji, MN) (March 15, 2022) – Paul Bunyan Communications has selected Amelia Scherling as the winner of the cooperative's 2022 Youth Tour Essay Contest. Amelia is in 11th grade, is homeschooled, and is the daughter of Steven and Catherine Scherling. She will attend the 2022 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 Mount Vernon, 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. Amelia 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 25th year that Paul Bunyan Communications has participated in sending a local high school student to the Youth Tour.

About Paul Bunyan Communications

Paul Bunyan Communications has the region's largest and fastest all fiber optic network with over 6,000 square miles throughout most of Beltrami County and portions of Cass, Hubbard, Itasca, Koochiching, and St. Louis Counties. The Cooperative provides fiber optic fast Internet speeds up to 10 Gig powered by the GigaZone, television services, digital voice services, Residential and Business IT services, and is also the home of northern Minnesota's certified Apple Service Center.