By Kate Marshal/Extension 4-H Agent
The Texas 4-H Youth Development Foundation and the Texas 4-H Youth Development Program are pleased to announce the 2018 Texas 4-H Opportunity Scholarship winners. More than $2.4 million will be awarded during the three days of Texas 4-H Roundup, June 11-14, 2018.
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Those receiving scholarships from the Henderson County 4-H Program include Robert (Justin) Jones, son of Jeff and Penny Jones of Athens and Christopher Childress, son of Bryan and Sherry Childress of Eustace. Justin is receiving a $20,000 scholarship sponsored by the San Antonio Livestock Exposition and Christopher is receiving $20,000 from the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo which will hep them to get as certified as they can in their respective areas, check this article about the importance of certifications https://www.calc.edu/why-calc/relevant-certifications/.
I couldn’t be prouder of these two young men. They have both worked hard and are very deserving of these awards. Justin is attending LeTourneau University in Longview and will be double-majoring in Aviation Management (Professional Pilot Concentration) and Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems. Christopher is headed to Texas A&M in College Station to study Veterinary Medicine.
The 4-H experiences these two have had without a doubt prepared them for their journeys after high school. They both have been involved in local 4-H clubs and community service as well as 4-H events at the District, State, National and even International level.
This past year, Justin was elected to serve on the Texas 4-H Council. It is a group of approximately 30 youth. They are state-wide ambassadors for 4-H. He has helped lead sessions at various camps and represented 4-H at the Thanksgiving Day parade in Houston.
Christopher has been involved in the 4-H GLOBE program (Global Leadership Opportunities Beyond Education). He took part in a Global Village simulation with Heifer International in Perryville Arkansas and then last summer, took a trip to Costa Rica where he stayed with a working-class family.
Among all their accomplishments a couple of skills they learned, practiced and perfected through the 4-H program were public speaking and record keeping. Both things were instrumental in being awarded their scholarships.
Standing up in front of a group to speak can be nerve-racking. Keeping up with records takes a lot of motivation and dedication. The awesome thing about 4-H is that Justin and Christopher starting learning about and doing these things when they were in grade school!
I wish them both the best and I know they will be successful in the next chapter of their lives. If you would like more information on how to get involved in our program, please contact me at [email protected] or call 903-675-6130.
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Kate Marshall is the Henderson County Extension Agent – 4-H & Youth Development for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. Contact her at: [email protected] & visit our webpage at http://henderson.agrilife.org