Melinda Knuth attended the NICE 2011 conference on the Campus of Purdue University in Indiana during July. NICE is the National Institute of Cooperative Education. Melinda was selected to attend the conference based on an essay and exam she completed in the spring of 2011. NICE is an exciting educational opportunity where high school students work in teams to gain knowledge on cooperative business principles, develop valuable leadership skills, get to know their peers from across the U.S. and have a lot of fun.
While at the conference, Knuth interviewed as one of South Dakota’s two candidates for the NICE Outstanding Youth Scholar. Each state can nominate one male and one female student. Each candidate participated in two days of interviews during the conference. Outstanding Youth Scholars attend the 2012 conference at Virginia Tech and serve as staff for the NICE conference. Jeremy Nettifee, 2011 graduate of WCHS served as a Youth Scholar for the 2011 conference. He was selected during the 2010 conference held in Tennessee. Melinda was one of 8 Outstanding Youth Scholars selected during NICE.
Each year, approximately 7 to 8 South Dakota youth attend the NICE Conference courtesy of the South Dakota Association of Cooperatives.
