Former Tideland youth tourist and college scholarship winner Shakera Davis discusses what innovation means to her during a panel discussion at the NC Electric Cooperatives’ annual meeting in Raleigh.

North Carolina electric cooperative leaders met in Raleigh in April 2018 for their Statewide Annual Meeting. Speakers and presentations addressed topics related to the meeting theme, “Energy Solutions: Inspired by innovation, driven by service.”

The meeting featured fresh perspectives from our state’s youth kicking off the meeting. A youth leadership panel included Shakera Davis, a former Tideland EMC Youth Tourist from Hyde County. The group discussed their goals and inspirations, as well as views on the role of innovation in communities.

“The most important thing about innovation is not being afraid to get out there and do something different,” Davis said. “To be innovative is to wake up every morning and say: Can I be better than the person I was yesterday?”

Davis is a senior at UNC-Chapel Hill. This fall, she will enter the Diplomacy and International Business program at the Libertas International University in Dubrovnik, Croatia.