4H/FFA Provide Life Lessons meet a few of our future leaders

Nine years is a long time, and in 4-H there are endless possibilities. My name is Sophie Grow, I am an eighteen year old graduated homeschool student now in my freshman year of college. I’m from Medford, and have been in the 4-H program for nine years. This is the final chapter of my 4-H story. I started in 4-H in the rabbit project, and rabbits have been my main project for all nine years. My sister and I started with just a couple small rabbits, and from there our project has grown into a small business where we breed, raise, show, and market our rabbits and their by-products. Owning our own small business and being part of the rabbit project has taught us valuable skills like animal husbandry, finances, responsibility, time management, and so much more. We couldn’t stop at rabbits though, we had chickens too! We don’t live on a farm, so the small animals were our best option for an animal project. I’ve also shown dogs, and even considered showing my cat. I have made myself a personal mission to educate the public and fellow 4-H members about what all 4-H has to offer. If you can imagine it, 4-H probably has a project for it. I enjoy trying new things, so some of the many projects I have been involved in over the years include: photography, videography, horticulture, shooting sports, foods, public speaking, leadership, arts, interstate exchange, etc. Essentially, when people ask me what I have done in 4-H, they get a much longer explanation than they want. I share that much because I want them to be aware of just how much 4-H has to offer. 4-H has helped me become the person I am today, and I want youth to know they can get involved if they want, and they don’t have to live on a farm to do it. As I have advanced through the years in my projects, I have looked for increasing ways to get involved and level up my leadership skills. In my rabbit club, I started as the Sergeant at Arms and made my way up to becoming Vice President, and then eventually President of the rabbit club. With the Presidency came responsibilities for coordinating the annual Easter Eggstravaganza fundraiser and mentoring youth in my club about rabbits and 4-H in general. In shooting sports, there are not many official leadership positions, but I wanted to set a good example of safety and club involvement by getting to know club members and sharing experiences. P o u l t r y i s a project I have done for eight years, and with that I have been able to lead workshops and private lessons for chicken showmanship. Leadership is something I take very seriously. With the Jackson County Ambassadors, I have built stronger public speaking abilities, learned how to work in a team. Last year, I applied to be a Oregon State 4-H Ambassador. Being an Ambassador at the state level gave me the opportunity to teach something I am very passionate about (ballroom dancing) at Oregon 4-H Summer Conference! I taught two classes with 30+ people in each class. I collaborated with two fellow county Ambassadors (who also know ballroom) and we had an amazing time. To make a difference, you have to get involved in where the decisions are made. I have been a youth member of the Jackson County 4-H Association Board for multiple years now, and through attending meetings I have learned about how the 4-H program is run in Jackson County. Seeing the inner-workings of the program and giving the youth’s perspective has inspired me to get involved in other programs outside of 4-H. As I mentioned before, ballroom dancing is a passion of mine, and one I love sharing with others. I have been ballroom dancing recreationally for six years, and competitively for three. This fall, my ballroom instructor asked me and three others to be “Junior Instructors” for this fall’s youth ballroom competition. That means I will get to choreograph dances for competing youth couples. 4-H has helped me gain confidence and a love for outreach and exploration, which in turn helps me with ballroom. Traveling is another passion of mine, and 4-H has helped me add to my travel portfolio. This year as part of Jackson County’s 4-H Interstate Exchange, my club traveled to New Jersey. Since New Jersey is close to some major cities, we got to spend the day in New York City. Spending time in the Big Apple, seeing the sights, and experiencing the newness was all incredible. Coming from rural southern Oregon, we don’t see a lot of skyscrapers. Even though I know I looked like a tourist, the fact that we got to see places we may not have –had it not been for 4-H– was incredible. My club, along with the club from New Jersey, took a tour of NYC where we saw ChinaTown, Little Italy, Grand Central Station, and listened to a powerful and devastating talk from our tour guide about 9-11. We also went into Philadelphia (and had to try the Philly Cheesesteak). I enjoyed learning about the history of the founding of our country, seeing the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Betsy Ross’s house, Benjamin Franklin’s print shop, and pointing out locations from favorite movies. We also went to the Statue of Liberty (the statue is in New Jersey, not New York) and Ellis Island, where I actually had family come through from Poland. A big part of 4-H is the fair, when everyone associates 4-H with being there out-loud and proud. Fair is a time of excitement and anticipation. Fair has always been a bit stressful, a bit nerve wracking (especially when trying to get my market animal up to weight), and a whole lot of fun. This year at the summer fair I had the opportunity to compete in Master Showmanship (a competition where the overall champion showman of each species shows steers, sheep, hogs, goats, poultry, and rabbits). Showing a large animal has always been a dream of mine, and Master Showmanship made that dream come true! I got to learn from the best showmen in their respective species, and show large animals for the first time. I gained a new perspective and learned how different projects work. I will be attending the National 4-H Congress in Atlanta, Georgia this winter, where I, along with other delegates from Oregon will attend a conference on a national level. I’m excited to learn from the workshops they will offer and to see the Atlanta area. 4-H has always been there for me and has opened up a world of possibilities for my future. 4-H taught me about finding my spark, and I sincerely thank everyone in the program for changing my life in a truly meaningful way. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without 4-H.