James was elected by over 600 4-H teens that attended 4-H teen conference June 14 – 17. To be slated for a state 4-H office, the 4-H member must apply, be interviewed and be slated in an office. Then they must campaign at the conference, including giving a speech in from of the entire delegation.
In James’s speech, he spoke of the footprint 4-H had left in his life.
“When my foot print was still small, like most of you, I attended to 4-H camp,” Westerfield said. “I was amazed at how much fun I could have at a camp in the middle of the woods meeting people who would become lifelong friends, all while developing important leadership traits. Camp was by far the best week of all my summers. But one year, camp demanded something from me. It was no longer just fun and games, it required responsibly from me. And most importantly it required an interview. I was so scared to do an interview that I didn’t go to camp. That could have been one of the worst decisions of my life, but luckily for me, I still received invitations to other events. My determined agent eventually encouraged me to stand up and interview for a teen leader position the next year. Since then I have attended every 4-H event I possibly could, including the ones with interviews. I went from being intimidated by three locals asking me why I’d make a good teen leader, to driving four hours so 15 slating committee members could interrogate me and determine what kind of leader I am. 4-H has definitely left a footprint on me. “
Trigg County 4-H has had 4 state 4-H officers: Chappell Wilson, state president from 1956 – 1957; Lucy Oliver, state vice president from 2001 – 2002; Matt Ledford, state president from 2008 – 2009; and now James.
For more information on 4-H, contact Janeen Tramble at the Trigg Cooperative Extension Service at 522-3269 or e-mail her at jtramble@uky.edu.
Educational programs of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin.
This press release was submitted by Janeen Tramble, Trigg County Extension Agent for 4-H Youth Development.
