What I Did

Over the course of seven months, I was able to engage and mentor younger 4-H members, attend various community meetings, serve as a precinct election official, volunteer as a neighborhood lawn maintenance worker, work behind the scenes at the Western and Southern Open Tennis tournament, and participate in 4-H leadership activities, within Butler County and 10 other counties around Ohio.

 

What I Learned

From my time as a mentor, I learned how challenging and rewarding it is to be there in someone’s life and help them accomplish goals. I learned how blessed I am to be in the position to help others and I realized how much help I have received over the years in getting me to the place I am now. Attending community meetings taught me the importance of community engagement. Watching county trustees in addition to commissioners and school board meetings gave me a better understanding of what happens behind the scenes, from managing large financial budgets to handling the concerns of local citizens. I truly gained a new appreciation for public servants and devoted volunteers in the community. While participating in service and leadership activities across Ohio, I learned that forming relationships and helping others are two positive actions that you can always accomplish. When we work together and learn from our mistakes, we can bring about wonderful things. 

 

How It Impacted Me

It was an incredibly awesome experience for me to help first-year 4-Hers, and younger 4-Hers in general, during my fourteenth and final year in the program. I was able to lead by example and make sure they know all the opportunities available to them in 4-H and in life. It allowed me to get a glimpse of my next phase in 4-H, because although I am aging out of a program that has been a part of my life for so long, there is still much that I can do to promote youth development moving forward. I am currently set to serve as a junior advisor. While volunteering in my neighborhood, I was able to use my skills to help beautify the neighborhood while also doing something I love. Working the tennis tournament, I was able to reconnect with my friends that I see once every year and form new relationships with people from around the country and the world. While serving as a precinct election official, I was able to fulfill my civic duty as an American citizen, and I also encountered voters born in every decade from the 1940s to the early 2000s. During my 4-H leadership activities, I was able to further strengthen my communication and team working skills, form new relationships with people across Ohio (some with very different backgrounds than myself), and be a role model to others. Overall, this project propelled me in my goal of living the life as a global citizen scholar.