A Poplar Bluff High School junior will experience an all-expense paid week-long trip to the nation’s capital as the result of winning an essay contest Wednesday, April 1, through Ozark Border Electric Cooperative.

Addison Hutson will join more than 100 high schoolers from across the state for the 63^rd annual Missouri Youth Tour to Washington, D.C., June 14-20, for a packed itinerary of historic site visits and lessons in leadership, civic involvement and the role of electric cooperatives.

The winning essay, 1,000 words in length about a passion, details Addison’s journey of working to regain her love for soccer after experiencing a significant loss.

"Soccer had slowly become more than an activity to me; it became a place where I could feel challenged and watch effort pay off," Addison wrote. “What I did not know at the time was that the same field that once gave me pure joy would soon become the place where I learned to survive heartbreak and find strength that I didn’t know I had.”

Having been introduced to the game of soccer at age 5, Addison grew to enjoy being cheered on by her loved ones and the concentration required. When the sport would later become a reminder of what was now missing from her life, she was compelled to temporarily walk away.

“Grief is different for everyone, but for me I was not able to handle heartbreak and competition at the same time at 11 and 12 years old,” Addison reflected. “Quitting was simply just a time to heal.”

When Addison reached eighth grade, she recognized that a part of herself was missing without the challenge soccer provided, so she gradually began practicing on her own again. She tried out for the team, this time with nothing to prove to anyone but herself. She has continued to stick with it to this day with great success.

“The lessons I learned from stepping away and coming back are that it is OK to take time to heal, that setbacks do not define me, and that returning to something that I am passionate about is always possible,” Addison went on. “These are lessons that I carry into school, relationships and other challenges.”

In addition to soccer, Addison is a member of the PBHS Swim Team, Student Council, Beta Club and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. After graduating from high school, she hopes to attend Missouri State University in Springfield, majoring in business.

Student delegates chosen in the contest will visit monuments and memorials including the U.S. Capitol, Smithsonian Museums, Arlington Cemetery, Mount Vernon, the Vietnam Veterans Wall, the Washington Monument, and the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials, and will take a boat ride on the Potomac River. The Missouri contingent will join over 1,800 from across the country to meet with their respective legislators in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate.

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Cutline: Addison Hutson, PBHS junior, displays a certificate she received on Wednesday, April 1, for winning an essay contest and qualifying to participate in the Missouri Youth Tour to Washington, D.C., at the end of spring.