It was the beginning of my 7th grade school year when I first heard about 4-H. My mom had learned about the 4-H program through her coworker. I remember conversing with my mom about whether or not I should join the program and I was very reluctant. However, my mom insisted that I should join, so we decided that I would try it out by attending my first club meeting (the Rocklin 4-H Club).
When I first walked into the meeting room, I was nervous. It was a whole new environment, and I did not know what to expect. When the meeting started, I was surprised to find out that it was being held by younger youth officers and I instantly knew that I wanted to be a part of the team. For some reason, being an officer intrigued me, so my mom urged me to ask if there were any opening positions in the leadership team. Soon, after the meeting, I talked with the community club leader and sure enough, they had positions open. Within a month, I was appointed Vice President of the Rocklin 4-H Club.
Being an extremely shy person, I had a hard time warming up to my team, but somehow, within a few months, I was comfortable to participate in monthly meetings and represented the club in joint events with local organizations. Although I was never involved with any leadership activities prior joining Rocklin 4H club and my roles were completely new to me, I was able to quickly adapt to my position as Vice President. I developed new skills and learned from my wonderful teammates. Because I loved being a part of the team and leadership, I decided to run for club president for the following year.
I was elected President of the Rocklin 4-H Club for my second year in the club. After one year of being vice president, I had an idea of what the role of the Club President would be, but honestly, I had no clue what I was doing. Thankfully, Sandy was able to guide me throughout the year. During my year serving as Club President, I expanded tremendously on my leadership skills. I learned how to lead meetings, prepare and finalize agendas, organize club events and coordinate with local representatives. I also found my love for event planning when I had the opportunity to be the Committee Chairperson for numerous events my club took part in. Towards the end of that 4-H year, I was elected Club President once again for my second term.
After my three years of experience in 4-H, I decided that I wanted to do more in 4-H. As a result, I decided to apply to be a county ambassador. The previous year, before my second term as president of my club, I had considered applying to be an ambassador, but I felt that I was not prepared enough. This time, after my couple years of experience, I knew that I could handle taking on a position at the county level. After the application process, I was elated to find out that I had been accepted onto the ambassador team. I would be able to take my leadership skills to the next level while representing Placer County 4-H.
Now, in my couple of months as a Placer County 4-H Ambassador, I am still adjusting to my new position. I am incredibly thankful for the opportunities I have been given and the people that have helped guide me. I am so grateful that I get to be a part of such an amazing team of 4-Hers and I am also happy that I ended up attending my first 4-H club meeting because if I hadn't, I may never have been where I am today in 4-H. I can't wait to continue to build on my leadership skills and become even more involved within 4-H!