Personal Narrative: My Experience At 4-H.

Throughout my life, 4-H has made an impact by shaping me into the person I am today and leading me on the path to become who I want to be. I have been given many opportunities to broaden my horizons, develop critical life skills, and make experiences that will always be with me.
I was raised in the small town of Milan, Michigan. As I grew older, I heard so many stories about my father’s experience in 4-H. I wanted to have the same opportunities to experience what he did through 4-H. At the age of 6, in late 2004, I took part in my first 4-H project, the Protégé horse program in Washtenaw County where I was able to borrow my mentor’s horse for show. This group allowed me to expand as a person. The Protégé horse program teaches young clover buds to meet new friends, to learn more about showing horses, and to gain confidence. Before 4-H, I was an extremely shy child. I was the girl standing behind my mother avoiding conversation with others. However, with my Protégé group, I opened up and instead of avoiding conversation I became engaged in it. My Protégé group played various games before the horse show, and with time I began participating with my new friends. These friends allowed me to feel comfortable. This 4-H experience taught me to be myself without being afraid of what

I wanted to make something happen that had a more important meaning. Making crafts and helping with my friend’s fair animals was great and I will always love those memories; however, I wanted to make a change. After doing a 4-H project on my family history, I realized that too many people in my life have been taken from me because of one disease: cancer. I knew right away that other people want to make a difference and find a cure to cancer too. This is when I realized I wanted to take all the skills I gained through 4-H and lead my peers in a team through the American Cancer Society Relay for