When you ask Starkville High School senior, Carey Beth Honnoll what she did this summer, it's not the typical beach trips and laying beside the pool. There's some of that, for sure, but this Yellow Jacket's summer highlights include sitting on the floor of the United States House of Representatives and visiting the Iwo Jima Monument with some of the best and brightest high school students in the nation.
Carey Beth, who will graduate from Starkville High School in May with her high school diploma as well as an Associates Degree from East Mississippi Community College, visited Washington D.C. in June as part of the 4-County Cooperative Youth Leaders Program. She was one of four award-winning high school students from our local cooperative and among only 84 across the state who represented Mississippi in the Youth Tour of Washington D.C. The Tour is a week-long trip and leadership event organized by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) to help state student delegations experience the nation's capitol, meet with law makers, and learn about cooperatives from different states. Carey Beth returned with a new sense of the important role utility cooperatives play –– and with a lot of new friends.
"I am incredibly grateful for being chosen, and it is indeed an honor to represent my local cooperative –– 4-County," Carey Beth said. "I really can't put a number on how many things I learned during this trip to Washington. Our schedule was completely packed with sightseeing, museum visits, and eating in new places. We saw many of the other state groups while moving through the city. At the end of the week, we attended a conference between the states and got to meet students from all over the country."
Mississippi's delegation to the Youth Tour of Washington D.C. was chosen through a lengthy and competitive process, and award-winners were able to participate in leadership development opportunities at each stage leading up to selection. Based on grades, leadership experience and student involvement, Carey Beth was selected by school counselors to represent Starkville High School at the 4-County Electric Power Association Cooperative University last November.
Cooperative University (Co-op U) is an annual learning and leadership development opportunity for students selected by their high schools and is designed to educate youth about the vital impact electric cooperatives make on local communities and the intersection of the political process and the cooperative business model. Seventeen area students attended the 2024 Co-op U and heard from Tennessee Valley Authority engineers about electric generation. 4-County linemen also presented a hot line demonstration. In addition, the students participated in a panel discussion with local legislative representatives.
A key portion of Co-op U included interviews and evaluations for students to advance to the next level of selection as Mississippi representatives in the national program. A panel of three judges affiliated with the Electric Cooperatives of Mississippi interviewed the area's 17 candidates and evaluated them based on their participation in team building exercises. Through this process, Carey Beth earned 2nd place and was chosen to represent the local 4-County area at the 2025 Mississippi Cooperative Leaders Workshop held in Jackson in February. These leadership development opportunities culminated in her June trip to the nation's capitol.
Throughout the Cooperative Youth Leadership Program's selection process, "cooperative" was the key word, and much of the programming focused on the impact the cooperative model has on giving communities access to reliable services. But, it also highlighted the cooperative nature of leadership skills, courageous decision-making, and effective communication through an emphasis on team-building and working together –– skills Carey Beth says she has learned through some of her experiences at Starkville High School.
"I definitely feel that Starkville High School has prepared me for pursuing this type of opportunity with 4-County by offering so many team sports and student-led activities," Carey Beth said. "Participating in sports and extracurricular activities has allowed me to work together with many different types of people and learn from them to accomplish common goals, and of course, all of my teachers have contributed to my success."
Carey Beth is quick to say that she can never pick just one teacher to highlight from her high school experiences, but has benefitted from all of their support as she has pursued her interests. Those interests in the classroom and in extracurricular activities have already given her many opportunities to become a leader among her peers.
Carey Beth serves as a Drum Major in the Starkville High School marching band and is a member of the Yellow Jacket Softball team. She has also earned membership in Starkville High's National Honor Society and Beta Club as well as in several college honor societies based on the dual enrollment courses she has taken. She is currently on track to complete her Associates Degree from East Mississippi Community College at the same time she graduates from high school, a feat that involves completing 60 semester credit hours through dual credit courses.
These opportunities for advanced study have positioned Carey Beth to pursue her goals after high school, and she's already getting started. After graduation, she hopes to attend the University of Mississippi and enroll in the Early Entry Pharmacy Program with plans to earn her Pharm.D to become a pharmacist. She says that a big part of her senior year at SHS will be devoted to "starting my career!"
This year, she is one of 25 students who are participating in an expanded Work-Based Learning (WBL) program offered through Starkville High's Millsaps Career and Technology Center. She will work with BJ's Pharmacy as an intern to gain experience in her chosen field of study after high school.
Rob Fyke, who serves as the district's WBL coordinator says that Carey Beth was a natural fit for the job placement because of her ability to connect with people and her outstanding attitude and leadership skills.
"Carey Beth came into her WBL interview with a clear goal of working in pharmacy and a highly motivated attitude," Fyke said. "Her positive outlook on life made it a joy to represent her in the placement process. After just a short meeting with BJ's Pharmacy, BJ and Jennifer Cougle immediately saw her potential and agreed to partner with the school. I have no doubt that Carey Beth will make all parties proud with her dedication, skills, and warm personality."
That warmth is evident in every encounter with the award-winning senior.
When Carey Beth shared about her experiences in D.C. this summer, her comments were filled with references to the people she met from across Mississippi as well as other states. In fact, she often referred to them as friends and described getting to meet them as state groups bumped into each other on tours of the city. The Youth Tour tradition of students trading pins with one another ranked alongside the U.S. House of Representatives as what Carey Beth described as her most memorable experience from the trip.
"Out of everything we did in D.C., my absolute favorite thing was pin trading," Carey Beth shared. "Each state gets pins or buttons made, and the goal is to trade them with the students from other states. I think I got 36 out of the available 44 states that attended!"
It's hard to argue with that excitement, and the attitude displayed by it has served Carey Beth well in her high school and work-based learning endeavors. It will likely take her far as she pursues her next steps.
4-County EPA Communications Coordinator, Brad Barr, who served as local coordinator for the Youth Tour program concurs.
"The Cooperative Youth Leaders Program candidates were strong representatives of their families and schools," he said. "We can definitely look forward to a bright future if these young leaders are any indication."
Anyone who has met Carey Beth Honnoll would, no doubt, agree.
