BROOKINGS, S.D. — South Dakota State University (SDSU) Extension and South Dakota 4-H are proud to announce the 2021 State 4-H Scholarship recipients. These awards are made possible through donors as well as the South Dakota 4-H program.
2021 State 4-H Scholarship winners are:
John F. and Beryl Younger 4-H Scholarship – ($300) Colton Wicks, Lake County. Wicks currently attends Rutland High School and will be attending SDSU to pursue a degree in either elementary/special education or agricultural education. He is an active member of the Country Swingers 4-H Club, Lake County Friends of 4-H and the Lake County Junior Leaders program. In school Wicks has been active in student council, football, track, basketball, FFA, band and plays, and attended Boys State. His most-memorable 4-H project areas were sheep and archery. Wicks’ community service projects have included serving meals at church, book drives, cards for the nursing home, hat/mitten drives, angel tree gifts and more.
John F. and Beryl Younger 4-H Scholarship – ($300) Cierra Mohr, Turner County. Mohr attends Parker High School, where she currently holds a 4.0 GPA. She plans to attend SDSU to pursue a degree in elementary education. Mohr’s community efforts include teaching vacation bible school and helping with the local county fair. She was nominated for “The Character on Track Program,” where she was able to share her experiences with elementary school children. Her favorite 4-H projects were a pillow that she sewed and a plant stand that she was able to create.
Robert and Maxine Olson 4-H Endowment – ($1,500) Maia Pochop, Lawrence County. Pochop attends Spearfish High School and plans to attend SDSU to pursue a degree in early childhood/elementary education. She has had many opportunities to assist younger children in her community through the 4-H Cloverbud Educator program, as well as babysitting, participating in the Angel Tree Toy Drive and serving as her school’s Character All Star. Pochup also participated in the food pantry food collection in the fall, helped sew masks, participated in the Lawrence County Teen Court and was also honored to be a South Dakota Youth Ambassador. Her favorite 4-H projects were character education and foods and nutrition.
Folkerts Family Scholarship – ($1,200) Grace Phinney, Davison County. Phinney is currently a student at SDSU pursuing a degree in animal science while completing the pre-veterinary medicine program and minoring in Spanish and animal health. She credits her participation in the 4-H dog project to leading her toward this career path. Phinney volunteers at the Love Feast in her community, writes cards for the nursing home residents and helps with Special Olympics and her club’s chili/bingo night at LifeQuest. Phinney served as the 2018-19 Davison County 4-H Ambassador and helped spread the message of 4-H. She has also participated as a camp counselor for 4-H camps. At SDSU she is involved in LeadState and holds an executive position as the Prexy Council Representative for the Pre-Vet Club. The two 4-H projects that she takes the most pride in are a painted ceramic peacock and showing her dog, Truman.
2021 State Shooting Sports Scholarship Recipients
The South Dakota 4-H Shooting Sport (SS) committee is awarding six scholarships to youth in the SS program. These scholarships are funded through entrance fees paid at the shooting sports state match. A group of five volunteers reviewed the applicants and selected their top candidates. The 2021 4-H SS Scholarship winners are:
Jessica Hays ($1,000) – Hays is a 10-year member of the South Dakota 4-H program in Pierre. She will be graduating from T.F. Riggs High School in Pierre and will be attending Hastings College in Hastings, Nebraska this fall. Hayes will be shooting on the collegiate shotgun team there as well as pursuing a degree in radiology technology. She has represented South Dakota 4-H twice at the 4-H SS National Championships. While on the air rifle team, she had individual and team success. This year she will be a member of the shotgun team at nationals.
Allison Fischer ($750) – Fischer will be graduating from Watertown High School and will pursue her future education at Black Hills State University this fall. She has helped to reinvigorate her county’s shooting sports program through fundraising efforts, which has allowed them to update their equipment. Fischer credits her involvement in shooting sports and other 4-H projects in leading her to a future career goal of getting a degree in environmental biology and going on to teach people about the outdoors.
Grant Gubrud ($500) – Gubrud will be graduating from Deuel High School and will attend SDSU this fall. He is a past member of the 4-H SS national shotgun team and is currently a National 4-H SS Ambassador. Gubrud has participated in the SS program for eight years. He has also served as an ambassador for the 4-H program at a state level. In addition to the SS program, Gubrud has had success in the show ring with his goat project entries.
Hunter Laverack ($500) – Laverack is a graduate from Bennett County High School and will be attending SDSU this fall to pursue a degree in wildlife and fisheries. He has represented South Dakota 4-H three times at the SS National Championships. He has made the 22-pistol, hunting and air pistol teams. He had the most success as part of the hunting team, making the stage both individually and on the team. In his spare time, Laverack is an outdoor enthusiast.
Kaitlin Ruden ($500) – A 2021 Sioux Valley High School graduate, Ruden will be pursuing her future education at SDSU. She will be representing South Dakota 4-H this summer at the 4-H SS National Championships on the 22-rifle team. Ruden has been involved in the shooting sports program for 11 years. She has also excelled with her photography projects in 4-H.
Jasmine Schilling ($250) – A Deuel High School graduate, Schilling will be pursuing a psychology degree from SDSU this fall. She has taken part in the rifle and archery disciplines in her county 4-H program. She has also been active in the photography project area in her county. Schilling has also given back to her community through her involvement in many service projects throughout her 4-H career.
Scholarship applications are due to the State 4-H Office by April 1 each year. Application instructions for upcoming 4-H Scholarships can be found on the SDSU Extension website.
More about South Dakota 4-H
South Dakota’s 4-H Youth Development Program is a partnership of federal (U.S. Department of Agriculture), state (land grant university) and county resources through youth outreach activities of SDSU Extension. Youth learn and experience leadership, health and wellness, science and ag-vocacy through a network of professional staff and volunteers reaching more than 9,000 enrolled members with yearly programming efforts to an additional 35,000 youth participants.
To learn more, contact your local SDSU Extension 4-H Youth Program Advisor.
— SDSU Extension
For more South Dakota news, click here.
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