Looking Forward!

                The last few months have been extremely hectic and full of surprises. With a new year starting, I’ve been looking forward to what is in store for me.

                Toward the end of 2012, I was working hard studying to take the ACT and applying to colleges. Since I was in the sixth grade, my plan has been to become a pharmacist; the only thing that has changed a few times is the college I want to attend. My choices changed from Pitt, to Duquesne, to Edinboro, to Mercyhurst, back to Pitt. So, when it was time to apply to colleges, I had some decisions to make. My mom and I visited a few more colleges that I hadn’t really thought about, and I ended up only taking the time to apply to three places, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Mercyhurst University, and D’Youville College.

                A few days ago, I sent in my tuition deposit to D’Youville College in Buffalo, New York. I have declared a biology major in the pre-pharmacy track. I scored high enough on the ACT to gain early assurance into their Pharm D program. This means, if I keep a B average and pass the entrance exam, I will be guaranteed a spot in the doctorate of pharmacy program in my third year.  As long as I stick to it, I will be a pharmacist in six years! I am not sure if I want to be the traditional pharmacist though, I may go into the research end of the business. It would be nice to be able to help improve medicines or even develop new ones.

                Not many people I’ve talked to have heard of D’Youville College. This is probably because it is such a small college, which is one of the reasons I chose it. I took a chemistry course at Pitt through the College in High School program, and I constantly got lost when we had our lunch breaks. So, I figured a small campus is probably the right choice for me. Another thing that helped me make my decision, as odd as this may sound, was the chemistry lab in their pharmacy department. I had never considered the chemical research part of pharmacy until I saw some of the equipment in the lab. It was pretty ridiculous to see how excited I was when I knew how some of it worked and what it did. Chemistry is my favorite class (I am actually a member of my school’s Chem Club, which consists of my AP Chemistry three class, a whole seven people), and I can’t wait to be hands on in the labs at college.

 

                On February 22^nd, I get to go participate in a lab at D’Youville’s early assurance student day. I am very excited about getting to know the campus better, meeting new people, and start preparing for my next six years!

               

Good Kind of Crazy

Hello Everyone!

CRAZY!  That’s how I’d like to describe this past month.  With so many events, deadlines, dates, and so much to do… this month has been packed!  Of course though, this month has been crazy in a good kind of way!

As many counted the days until Christmas, I was counting down the days until the 2013 PA Farm Show!  At the Farm Show, your PA 4-H State Council was out and about doing what we love most – promoting 4-H!  From Today’s Ag Unveiling to the PA Preferred Banquet to the Hess BBQ Booth and even at the Opening Ceremonies, your State Council had a visible and prestigious presence.  It was during the Opening Ceremonies that I had the privilege of emceeing the entire festivity– something I was extremely thrilled about!  The first week of PA Farm Show went by quickly and my team and I had a fantastic time bonding and representing PA 4-H!  Now, we weren't finished with Farm Show just yet!  After a couple days of recovery, the majority of the PA 4-H State Council, including myself, planned on returning to the PA Farm Show for additional events.

It was within this time frame away from the PA Farm Show that I was unfortunately involved in an automobile accident and was hospitalized due to a spleen laceration.  That being said, I was unable to attend the rest of the PA Farm Show.  Instead of attending the Public Officials Day Brunch, I was in the hospital.  I was not able to deliver the speech I had written, and I was unable to participate in the much anticipated “Celebrity Cow Milking Contest”.  Life throws you curve balls and it definitely knocked me out with awful timing.  Fortunately though, I have an amazing and wonderful State Council that has provided much encouragement and support.  Tyler, the VP of Events, agreed to fill in for me and I cannot thank him enough for that.  As a team, they all offered me words of encouragement and wished me well.  Looking on the bright side of things, it once again made me feel so truly blessed to be working with such a great group of people.  I cannot say enough for my State Council.

After being released from the hospital, I was able to attend the 2013 PA 4-H State Leadership Conference.  As they say, “rain or shine the show must go on”!  There was no way I was going to allow my injury to keep me away from the State Leadership Conference!

The 2013 State Leadership Conference was a true success!  I cannot express how great of a time I had meeting so many delegates, playing with the bubbles from the bubble machine, eating chocolate, and interacting with everyone.  Did you notice that the t-shirts smelled like chocolate?!  Also, did anyone else see that Oompa Loompa besides me…?   Well, I hope everyone that went enjoyed themselves and plan to come back next year!

But I hope everyone knows that the fun doesn’t have to stop at SLC!  There are so many other opportunities that 4-H has to offer and one of them is coming up soon and that is… CAPITAL DAYS!  So make sure to sign up soon because the deadline is approaching!  If you had fun at SLC, you won’t want to miss Capital Days!  Also, make sure to spread the word!  One of our State Council goals is to see attendance increase so make sure to tell everyone and we’ll see you there!

Until later,

Cassidy Baker

2012/2013 Pennsylvania 4-H State Council President

“In union there is strength.”
Aesop

The 2012/2013 PA 4-H State Council at
the PA 4-H State Leadership Conference!

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

Margaret Mead

Going to the Inauguration and Lessons Learned About the Cold

Going to the Inauguration and Lessons Learned About the Cold

January was one word, intense!  The only day I really got off was New Year’s Day and then I was off to work for 4-H, school, and the trip of a life time. 

Farm Show, the one place that always amazes me.  As a State Officer I was responsible to attend.  I went to the Today’s Ag Unveiling which was one of the coolest things I've seen.  I also got to go to the PA Preferred Banquet which was a lot of fun mingling with people from all over the state.  Then it was opening ceremonies and volunteer work which I always love doing.  If you haven’t tried the National Science Experiment you are missing out which was conveniently located at the 4-H activities booth.  I also went to the Public Official's Day brunch which was a really cool event as well.

The trip of a life time though was going to the 2013 Presidential Inauguration.  Yeah that’s right the Inauguration.  The downside of this trip: I wasn’t able to attend SLC.  The choice to not attend SLC as an officer was a hard one but in the end I knew I made the right choice.  I got to see several really cool places on Saturday and Sunday including the MLK Memorial, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, the FDR Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, the Korean Memorial, the Abraham Lincoln Memorial, the Marine Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, the Kennedy Graves, and the eternal flame.  When we went to Arlington national Cemetery the President and Vice President were leaving from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and we saw them drive by which was really cool.

Then came Monday, the day we were all waiting for.  The amount of clothing that we all had on was extensive.  We got to the Mall to see the view of the picture below.  The event was a truly inspiring one.  Getting to see Kelly Clarkson, James Taylor, and Beyoncé perform live at the inauguration was amazing. 

 

Then the moment came, the swearing into office and the inaugural address.  The inaugural address was truly something to hear.  President Obama’s microphone was so loud that the mall echoed with every word he said.  I was truly stunned at the power of his words.

The cold is something that I won't miss though.  Even with four layers of clothing, six hand warmers, thick wool socks, and a scarf the cold still got to me.  But it was worth it!

Going to see the inauguration would not have been complete without going to one of the many inaugural balls occurring in the city that night.  No, we were not allowed to go to the one held in the Capitol Building where the president was, though if he would have showed up to ours I think I would have been so awestruck that I wouldn’t have been  able to say anything to him. 

The next day we decided to go to the Supreme Court, the Capitol Building, and the National Library.  The Supreme Court was a truly cool building to see with all of its architectural designs.  The Capitol Building was really fun to see but it took us forever to find the two Pennsylvania Statues of Robert Fulton and John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg.  But the National Library was HUGE!  Our Principal told us not to wander off but if we found a secret passage, to find him and we will go National Treasurer 2 in here.  Unfortunately we didn’t find any secret passages but I was convinced that half of the group was lost. 

Going to the Inauguration was truly a life experience.  I did miss going to SLC this year but if I had to pick again I know I would pick the Inauguration again.  Some events are worth going to especially if they come by once every four years. 

One busy month

Its hard to believe that it has been a month since Farm Show.  Even though it seemed like the only thing that we were doing was running around the entire complex or helping at the BBQ booth I enjoyed my time in Harrisburg.  I would say the most memorable part was working at the Hess' BBQ booth (no relation) and raising money for 4-H with my fellow council members.  I would like to say good job to Tyler at the celebrity cow milking contest as well even though your team did not win you did great with the stubborn cow that you  had.

After Farm Show it was our big event SLC!!! I've went to SLC two years before this year and I was so exited to actually  have the chance to run my favorite state event.  The two years that I've went I had a great time, and I wanted to give an even better experience then I had.  I believe that did happen because all I have heard was great feedback! I have have had a few friends that I have met the first year I went to SLC come up to me and say it was the best one that they have gone to, that meant a lot to me.

The week after SLC your state council went to Clearfield County to teach officers training.  This was a great opportunity to meet more 4-H members around the state.  The exciting part of that day was actually on my way home.  My wheel actually feel off my truck!  Yes, I am fine. Some things needed replaced on my truck, which is back on the road.  looking back I am very lucky that no one got hurt and that my wheel didn't hit anyone else, and that my grandfather was coming home from Hershey so he was able to give me a ride back home.  I'm not one to complain, moan, and look at the bad things that happen in life, so I look at this and call it a "learning experience".

Until next time,

John Hess, State Vice President of Internal Affairs and Sentinel 

My Years in the Pennsylvania Farm Show

Well, another successful PA Farm Show can go down in the books!  Hope you all had a chance to go there and experience it at least once this year.  The weather was fantastic and records were set once again for attendance!  I can remember my very first farm show I participated in many years ago.  I was very excited to actually be an "exhibitor" in the event I was in awe of.  That year, I proudly marched my "giant" pumpkin into the vegetable room to be displayed with all the others.  Little did I know that my pumpkin was going to be judged against all the fruit and vegetable farmers also displaying their product against mine.  I was awarded third place for my pumpkin!

Also that year, I can remember competing in an event called Aquaculture.  I loved that contest!  You were first given a written exam, something I didn't enjoy as an eight year old, then the fun began.  You went to a room where you were given an aquarium and filter.  It was your job to bring the substrate, plants, and fish to create a small native habitat for them.  I chose to create a habitat for Kissing Gouramis.  I remember it like it was yesterday.  I was very short and struggled to reach my tank, but I did it.  I stood on an upside-down turned bucket and worked feverishly to get my tank just right and when I was finished, I was soaked from head-to-toe! 

I proudly showed other commodities that year, but I must say that the pride I felt from completing the Aquaculture event has stayed with me all these years.  Why am I bringing this up now?  Well, this year, eight years later, I am still proud to be a participant in the Farm Show.  This year was an especially good one for me too.  I acted as a representative with the PA 4H State Council which offered me countless opportunities to meet some incredible people, speak at conferences, participate in celebrity cow milking, volunteered in the 4-H beef booth, and more.  I also volunteered for the first time as an official Dauphin County Master Gardener.  I participated in the fleece to shawl and sheep to shawl where I sheared a sheep for our team.  I showed my pig, which if you read my last post, not only made weight, but it also made sale placing second in its class!  Whew, sounds like a lot, but I wasn't finished there.  I also helped out with Equine Showcase that my sisters participated in and volunteered for my county 4-H in the information booths. 

I'm only sharing all of this with you because I was just a kid who used to get excited just going to see the PA Farm Show.  Then I joined 4-H and my world exploded.  The opportunities that exist for our youth are endless.  Hope I've sparked some interest in you too!  Oh, I hope they bring back the Aquaculture contest sometime because it was great!

December Blessings

First and foremost, I hope everyone had a delightful holiday season and enjoyed the much needed break from school! I know I surely benefited having some time off and time to relax.

This holiday season was one unlike any I had in the past seventeen years. Earlier this December, my family welcomed a new family member to our house-no, not another child in our clan, but my 93 year old great aunt. The move seemed so simple when I thought about it prior to the transition, but it has proved to be quite an adjustment.

Aunt Rosanne, or “Muffy” as she has been called since her childhood, brought along a great number of concerns for my family, but she has actually unintentionally taught me a few lessons. Let me start by saying, Aunt Muffy loves to eat, so she finds it very meaningful when we sit down and eat meals with her. My family typically doesn’t have the pleasure of sitting down to eat together because we simply do not have the time; however, this December has been a month filled with family dinners, and not only to celebrate the holidays. We made an effort to make time to eat together, and it really pleased Aunt Muffy. She was especially thrilled when I asked her to teach me about those scribbles she uses to write messages that nobody but her can comprehend, also known as shorthand. Indirectly, I relearned the significance of spending quality time with my family and how important my family is to me. Leave it to the holiday season to bring families closer together!

In front of the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, 
Austria with my friends Catherine and Heidi. 

Along with learning valuable lessons about family, I learned lots in December about the importance of friendship. I have been very blessed with supportive friends, and naturally it’s difficult to be apart from them. In mid-November, one of my closest friends, Heidi, moved to New Brunswick, New Jersey to enter a vigorous physical therapy program to cure her Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD). It has been sad not having her by my side and in town to be able to celebrate our traditions, but she is always around in spirit. I cannot wait for Heidi’s recovery and for her to return home! In the meantime, I developed bonds with other great friends, and I can easily say these next six months finishing senior year are going to be a blast.

 

Of course, January has tons in store for Pennsylvania 4-Hers and State Council. I’m looking forward to my first time at the Pennsylvania Farm Show and the best Pennsylvania 4-H State Leadership Conference: Leadership Your Golden Ticket!

Thanks for reading,

 

Cecilia Stuetz 

Pennsylvania State 4-H Council Secretary 

“The love of family and the admiration of friends is much more important than wealth and privilege.” –Charles Kuralt 

A Reflection on a Year of 4-H

A Reflection on a Year of 4-H

This year with 4-H was truly something to remember not because of anything in particular but the fact that it was my second to last year within the organization that gave me so much.  Looking back I can think of several highlights which this year I look forward to again.

In January I kicked off the year of 4-H by assisting at the Farm Show with the 4-H Science Projects.  The Beef Rib Barbeque Sandwiches were the best food I had, excluding the always delicious deep fried vegetables.  This year I can’t wait for farm show and all the new fun memories that I will have.

SLC was the best part of January though.  Learning about myself as a leader and what it meant to be a leader was an experience which I will truly cherish.  This year I got the chance to help design SLC and the inclusion of chocolate … well let’s be honest chocolate and SLC might be better than chocolate and peanut butter.

Then Camp Counselor Training for the summer began.  Counselor Training is one of the few things I enjoy with 4-H because I get to see the new team that I will be working with.  Each year new people join and old people leave the team; each year is different.  This year we planned on teaming up the rest of District 18 Northampton, Lehigh, and Schuylkill.  I looked forward with teaming up with them for my fourth year as a camp counselor.

Then I attended Capital Days.  It was the first time in a long time that a Berks County youth was interested in going.  The one thing I will remember of that event was arguing with John Hess about the bill in question on the mock senate floor.  I never had a better time of achieving nothing reflecting on how we both were wrong in our arguments.  This year I get to watch other 4-Hers attempts what I attempted and I look forward to doing just that.

Camp!  My voice was sore from all the singing but I had a blast as usual.  I was no longer an inexperienced counselor and I got the honor of being an advisor for younger counselors.  The best parts of camp will always be mascotts, smores, animals in the cabins, and finally the new friends I make.  The friends I this year from camp I looked forward to seeing in a couple of weeks State Achievement Days.

State Achievement Days was probably the most stressed I ever felt at any 4-H event.  It was my fault cause I decided that for my final year in 4-H I was going to be a part of the State 4-H Council.  I had to make several presentations and prepare myself for the responsibility which came with being part of this amazing team.  I got to meet my friends from all over 4-H and then I got to make new friends as well.  The final night dance is always a great time.

The rest of my 4-H year all fell under State Council from the wonderful weekend in September called Officer Training, to State Council Events in October, November, and December.  The success I felt that my team and I achieved in these few months we have been together I never would have hoped for better teammates.  We have been all hard at work trying to be the best that we can be and are still trying to be better. 

I look forward to next year and I can’t wait to see what is in store for my final year in 4-H.  I have truly been blessed with what 4-H has allowed me to achieve.  What will the surprises that will be in my final year in 4-H? After ten years in this organization I cannot predict any part of it.  I can only walk forward with a smile and eagerness like I have every year of my 4-H Journey.

-George Dietrich State Historian and Reporter

Happy New Year!

January is going to be one exciting month! Not only does it include the start to the new year and everyones resoultions, but also the Pennsylvania Farm Show and State Leadership Conference! I absolutely cannot wait for the Farm Show. I not only get to be there for State Council, but I will be showing as well! It is going to be one busy week and month, that's for sure, but I wouldn't want to change any of it! I hope that everyone will be able to come visit the State Council at the Farm Show! It amazes me how many people in my county 4-H program alone have never been to the Farm Show and it is definitely worth your time to go! There is so much to do and see. The expo halls are filled with venders of all kinds, food booths, and of course, animals! There is almost always a show or activity of some kind to watch in three arenas that the Farm Show has, and they are always enjoyable to watch!
Besides just the Farm Show in January, SLC is also coming up very quickly! I hope that everyone got their registrations in! It is going to be a blast full of candy, chocolate, and many other surprises! The State Council along with our advisors, have been working very hard to plan SLC so it will be the best leadership conference yet!
So I hope that everyone has a very happy and safe new year! And also, I hope to see all of Pennsylvania 4-H at the PA Farm Show and/or SLC!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Until later,
Dawn Craft- 2012-2013 Pennsylvania State Council Vice President of Operations

Tick Tock.

Hello Everyone!

This year, I am again participating in one of my favorite sports, cheerleading.  Often times, people are amazed that I am both a cheerleader and equestrian, not to mention an avid and active 4-H member.  Basketball games just started this past month, which means that cheerleading now consumes most of my time.  In other words, here comes the art of time management.  

“How are you able to be a cheerleader, ride your horse, work a part-time job, do well in school, and be so dedicated to the 4-H program?” is something that I have been asked quite a bit now.  Well my dear friends, it is all about time management.  Over the years, I have learned that if you are doing what you love doing, things will get done.  If you put forth the effort, you can accomplish what you set out to achieve.  That is true, however, only if you truly commit yourselves to everything in which you partake.  This is something that I find myself struggling with sometimes.  It is not an easy skill to master and it is one that I admit that I am still working on.  

That being said, I CANNOT WAIT for the 2013 Farm Show and the 2013 PA 4-H State Leadership Conference!  The next couple of weeks are going to be crazy, but I am ecstatic!  For all of you heading out to the Farm Show, your State Officer team is excited to see you there!  And last but definitely not least, I am so thrilled for SLC!  Bubbles, chocolates, games, friends, food, and fun!  It’s sure to be a blast!

Until later,

Cassidy Baker
2012/2013 Pennsylvania 4-H State Council President 

PCS Varsity Cheerleaders

“Don’t be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of. One man gets only a week’s value out of a year while another man gets a full year’s value out of a week.”

Charles Richards