Member Spotlights

Katie, San Luis Obispo County

Katie, Adobe Nipomo 4-H Club, San Luis Obispo County

Twelve-year-old Katie (who has 18 pets!) has been in 4-H for three years.  Katie has very diverse interests, and her eight projects reflect her unique hobbies.  This year, she was very involved in food and nutrition, mini gardens, arts and crafts, ceramics, dairy goats, poultry, camping and outdoors, and community pride.  Katie says, “They were all very successful projects and very fun to be in.”

Through her community pride project, Katie helped set up a petting zoo at a local convalescent home.  She enjoyed sharing her animals with the appreciative seniors.  Katie took on another leadership role when she served as the junior leader for the arts and crafts project.  Katie learned how to bake ceramics, and she also helped demonstrate skills and clean up after meetings.

In some of her other projects, Katie has increased her involvement.  In the poultry project, Katie began with two chickens.  “We’ve bought, traded, sold or were given a total of twenty-nine chickens in the past two years,” says Katie, and she currently has seven egg-laying hens.  Katie sells these eggs to finance her project.  Katie’s involvement with mini gardens has also grown.  During her first year in the project, she planted simple seedlings.  Now, she grows entire gardens and was the County Record Book Winner for her mini garden involvement.

Overall, Katie has had a fantastic year in 4-H.  She loves the opportunities 4-H has given her, and she can’t wait for next year!  “Before I was in 4-H I felt like I wasn’t doing anything, but now I am,” Katie explains, “I am changing the world and making it better.”

Author: Megan Reese, State 4-H Office Student Assistant, mereese@ucdavis.edu