Overview
Over the past couple of days, I had the incredible opportunity to attend the 78th Annual 4-H Electric Congress at UNC Wilmington. Electric Congress is a 4-H annual event that brings youth together from across North Carolina who share an interest in science, energy, and technology. This marked my second year attending Electric Congress, and it was truly a memorable experience.
Day 1 – July 15, 2025
Traveling to the UNCW campus took up most of the day, and I arrived around 2:00 PM. After checking in at Pelican Hall, I received my room keys, a welcome gift, and enjoyed some refreshments. Once I got settled in my dorm and familiarized myself with the layout, I headed downstairs at 2:30 PM for the highly anticipated campus tour. Unfortunately, it was canceled, so instead, I attended a live electricity demonstration near another building. It was fascinating to see how different materials — including wood and even a sausage — reacted when exposed to live electrical current.
At 4:30 PM, I joined others outside Pelican Hall to take photos with all the donated box fans. This optional community service activity allowed participants to either bring a fan or donate $20 to support families in need. Afterward, we had some free time to get ready for county pictures and the evening’s awards banquet.
By 5:45 PM, I met up with my county in the lobby and headed over to the Warwick Center for our photo session. The banquet began at 7:00 PM with the invocation and the reciting of the pledges, followed by dinner sponsored by ULCS. After dinner started, the awards ceremony took place, which wrapped up around 9:15 PM. Although there was a karaoke and ice cream social scheduled from 9:30 to 11:00 PM, I decided to skip it due to how tired I was from the day’s events. And with that, Day 1 came to a close.
Day 2 – July 16, 2025
I started the day early, waking up at 5:00 AM to get ready and organize my calendar so I wouldn’t miss any of the scheduled activities. At 7:15 AM, I met with my county and we walked to the Burney Center for breakfast at 7:30 AM. Announcements and a review of the day’s agenda began at 8:15 AM, followed by the Energy Expo at 8:30 AM, sponsored by PIKE.
The expo featured a variety of booths and demonstrations both inside and outside the Burney Center. I visited all the booths within an hour, which gave me time to head back to the dorm and relax. Around 11:15 AM, my county and I walked to the Fisher University Union for lunch at Chick-fil-A. After a quick break in my dorm, I returned at 1:00 PM to board the buses for Jungle Rapids Family Fun Park, where we spent three hours enjoying the water attractions.
Later in the evening, we traveled to Carolina Beach for a dinner cruise, which quickly became the highlight of the entire trip. The cruise, from 6:00 to 9:00 PM, offered stunning views of beach strips, coastal landscapes, and the Wilmington skyline. It got a bit windy as we reached the Cape Fear River, making the ride even more exciting. At 9:15 PM, we boarded the buses back to campus. Though there was a pizza party at Pelican Hall at 10:00 PM, I skipped it since I was still full from dinner. That marked the end of an unforgettable Day 2.
Day 3 – July 17th, 2025
I woke up at 5:00 AM once again to finish packing. At 7:15 AM, I went downstairs for checkout, and by 7:30 AM, my luggage was loaded onto the bus. I then walked to the Burney Center and waited for breakfast, which started at 8:30 AM. Shortly after, at 9:00 AM, delegates were each awarded their certificates. I also had the opportunity to write a thank-you card to one of Electric Congress’s generous sponsors.
At 11:00 AM, we began boarding the buses for the trip home. I arrived at my drop-off location around 2:15 PM and made it back home by 4:30 PM. With that Day 3 finished.