Responsibility Comes With 4-H Success
My family has been strong in 4-H for many years. Both of my parents and grandparents were actively involved with 4-H, along with my older sister. It was only natural for me to want to get involved.
I’m Courtney Keaton and I’m a fifth-year member of Splitlog 4-H. Even though I have followed in their footsteps by joining 4-H, I have chosen my own interests. That is one thing I like about 4-H — it definitely has enough variety that I can pick the things that interest me instead of copying others in my family.
One of my newest projects is cake decorating. I have been making and decorating cakes for a couple of years, but mainly just for my family. This year I made, decorated and sold a few cakes for my friends and relatives. I have learned so many new techniques and skills from watching videos, talking to experts, and just from trial and error.
I have definitely learned from mistakes. It has taught me not to get discouraged or give up if things don’t go as planned. It has been really fun to take specific themes and be able to come up with my own cake or cupcake design for a party or get-together.
I have learned many new things from 4-H this year, from taking care of cats to showing cattle. Being responsible for my cats and my show heifer takes a lot of hard work, but I have learned how important it is. Just a short time ago, I didn’t really want to show a big heifer, lope my horse, make a cake for someone else because I was afraid they wouldn’t like it, go to 4-H camp for several days without my parents or give a demonstration in front of a group — but with a little encouragement I did and I enjoyed doing each of those things.
I have also learned that the things I do through 4-H are fun. I have truly enjoyed participating in the many different activities and meeting new friends.
Probably one of my favorite and most memorable parts of 4-H has been hosting a delegate from Japan. It was a great experience for the whole family. We made a lifetime friend.
— Courtney Keaton, 12