A Summer of Making the Best Better

As a 10-year 4-H member, I thought I knew just about everything about the world of 4-H. Boy, oh boy, was this livestock girl in for a rude awakening. From SPIN clubs to robotics competitions to honey bees, this summer has been a whirlwind of learning new things, with the learning curve made steeper by needing to communicate with my supervisor via email all summer due to some unforeseen circumstances.

With all four of the county fairs in the unit finally over, I feel like I can take a breath and reflect on the things I have accomplished this summer.


Organizing volunteers to judge for project expo, teaching about 10 different versions of the same lesson, being featured live on the morning news (twice!), and working with two coworkers to organize a whole 4-H fair are just some of the projects I've worked on this summer. I have learned how to work in an office setting, how to modify lessons on the fly to make them work for different audiences, how to manage volunteers and work with parents, and how to step up when needed. The knowledge and skills I have gained will be invaluable to a future career, whether that be with Extension or another agriculture company.

In working on all sorts of different projects, the mottos for the summer have been "Fake it 'til you make it" and "Make a decision and stick with it." Being seen as the authority on topics you know nothing about is never easy, but being pushed to step up into this position has been great for being able to learn hands-on how things get done in 4-H.


I never expected to learn more about 4-H in one summer than I did in 10 years, but being tossed out of my comfort zone couldn't have been more rewarding.