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4-H student leads for her community, 4-HNebraska Many young adults would be petrified at the thought of sitting down and explaining to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture how important 4-H has been in their lives. However, for 18-year old Dani Whitney, it was the type of meeting she had been training for since she was 9 years old. Whitney, a sophomore agricultural economics major at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, began competing in speech competitions when she joined her local 4-H Club, Milford Mousers, in her hometown of Milford. "My second-grade teacher, Marcia Jones, was a 4-H leader and she got me involved in public speaking," Whitney said. Since joining 4-H in 1999, Whitney's focus has been in the leadership and personal development and communication and expressive arts areas, but she credits 4-H with helping her develop many skills other than public speaking. "I've learned how to stand up and take leadership roles and be confident with myself," Whitney said. "If you want something you have to work for it because it isn't going to be handed to you, and if you start something you need to finish it. 4-H has helped make those values permanent in my life." Whitney said her many mentors, including Tammy Stuhr, UNL Extension educator in Seward County, have given her guidance while growing up. She said those people are not only her mentors, but her friends. "Tammy has a way of making me believe in myself," Whitney said. Sue Nielsen has been Whitney's 4-H leader for the past three years in Minden and has worked with her on many projects. Dani's 4-H Club baked goods for the elderly, organized county day camps to get youths interested in 4-H and has undertaken many other projects. "We put together items for the local Human Society, and Dani helped with the animals," Nielsen said. On a global scale, Whitney and Nielsen along with other 4-H members put together health kits and school kits for the Lutheran World Relief fund. The kits were then shipped overseas to underdeveloped countries. "These projects not only help the youth and the elderly, they teach 4-H members about community and global needs and how to respond to them," Nielsen said. Through 4-H, Whitney has traveled to Atlanta for the National 4-H Congress, Washington, D.C., for the National 4-H Conference and had many positive experiences at the local level. But she doesn't point to any one event as the highlight of her 4-H experience. "It is the combined experiences from 4-H that have helped prepare me to branch away from my family and the friends I've made who share the same experiences and morals that I value, " Whitney said. Next year Whitney plans on becoming a collegiate 4-H member and hopes her experiences will lead her to a job with the USDA and a perhaps a position with the 4-H program at the national level. "I can't imagine 4-H not being a part of my life," Whitney said. Nebraska 4-H is part of the university's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. 9/8/08 Date: 9/3/08 Advertisement
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