Member Spotlights

Kierstin, Shasta County

Kierstin, Black Butte 4-H, Shasta County

Spotlight-Kierstin Kierstin’s main 4-H project has always been sheep.  This year, she named her lamb Lanif Edosipe, which means “final episode” backwards.  She got her lamb from a new breeder and encountered several adventures.  Initially, Kierstin was worried about her lamb – he had a bad sore mouth, was difficult to halter break, and had a “spazzy” personality.  However, Kiersten soon grew fond of Lanif Edosipe, who turned out to be a fairly gentle and nice lamb, “in fact the nicest lamb I’ve had to work with in all my years of the Sheep project.”  Kiersten and Lanif Edosipe enjoyed success at the fair, winning second place in their class and advancing to the champion market lamb class and the showmanship class.

Throughout Kierstin’s years in 4-H, she has taken several other projects.  She especially enjoyed leather crafting and the soothing progress of her projects.  Aside from leather crafting, Kiersten was involved in the animal fostering project.  In this group, she took care of kittens from the local animal shelter, nursing them until they were old and healthy enough to return.  In a similar project, Kiersten took her animals to visit patients in rehabilitation centers.  This pet therapy project helped her develop interpersonal and public speaking skills while bringing joy to others.

Kiersten also gave back to her community through other 4-H service activities: “I attended many community service events this year, ranging from various cleanups like our roadside, cemetery and monument cleanups to things like bringing canned food for food drives, items for Operation Christmas child, and serving at the soup kitchen.”

“There’s so much that can be learned through 4-H if you’re willing to see it and be involved,” says Kierstin.  These words have guided Kiersten through her many years in 4-H.  Although she is graduating high school, 4-H will always have a special place in her memories!

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