“It really is all because of 4-H, if I hadn’t gone through 4-H,
I wouldn’t have discovered my passion for the beef cattle
industry, or for leadership, I definitely would not be able to talk
in front of a bunch of people or just have the confidence. 4-H is
really something that pushes you to become better and to find
what you’re passionate about.”
In her new position, Riley is excited to
build life-long relationships with those who
share the same values, goals and drive that
she has, as well as open doors and make
connections that will help her throughout
college.
The position of chairman normally comes
with lots of opportunities including trips to
Washington and all of the state fairs, however
with COVID-19, the future has remained
uncertain since all of last spring’s events
were canceled. However, the experience has
inspired Riley to use her time as chairman to
encourage younger 4-H’ers to make the most
out of their time in the club and to create
opportunities.
“My goals that I listed as chairman were to
really focus on the experiences that 4-H gives
us, and push for kids to really make the most
of what we’re given. I’ve kind of realized that
I’ve taken my 4-H experiences for granted
over the past four years, and not being able
to see any of my friends or go to any competitions
has made me realize how special it is,”
Riley said. “I also hope to better some of the
clubs in 4-H, especially horse club, it’s a club
that’s pretty near to my heart for being in it
almost 12 years. I have some goals set up to
increase our attendance especially in our district
and state competitions, and hopefully by
doing so, we can just bring more attendance
and attention to our district as a whole.”
After this year, Riley will age out of 4-H
as she moves on to a new chapter of her life.
Riley hopes to attend Texas A&M University
to double major in agriculture business and
agriculture communications with a minor in
political science. After graduation, she plans
to become affiliated with organizations like
the Texas Beef Council to grow her knowledge
and platform in the beef cattle industry. She
also hopes to use her political science minor
to become a lobbyist in the beef cattle industry,
advocating for the ranchers and to share
knowledge with the community about the agriculture
industry and how food is produced.
While Riley will no longer be a 4-H youth
after this year, she won’t be gone forever. The
program allows alumni to return and work
with the younger generations, which Riley
looks forward to doing.
“If I hadn’t had the kind of encouragement
from my older 4-H’ers or people that I had
known and looked up to, I wouldn’t have
done half of the stuff that I’ve done, so it’s really
encouraging to see those kinds of people
and I would love to do the same,” Riley said.
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