Pennsylvania 4-H alumna Lucy Hutchinson is currently a medical student. She notes, "There is no way that I could have reached this point on my journey to become a doctor without 4-H. After all, 4-H is what taught me the scientific method, to try new things, to view failure as anything but defeat, and most importantly to connect with other people.
"I had absolutely no idea that the 4-H program would one day shape my life," she notes, speaking of her early days with 4-H. Hutchinson's parents and sisters were involved with 4-H as volunteers, leaders, and members. "As the youngest, this meant that for years I was dragged along with dwindling enthusiasm to everyone else's meetings," she recalls, "and was therefore extremely eager to finally have my own role and activities once the Cloverbud program reached our 4-H club in early 2006."
"From the time I joined 4-H to the time I aged out, my love for and involvement within 4-H intensified exponentially," Hutchinson notes. She started out by entering textile science projects in the local fair, but her curiosity soon drove her to try cooking, baking, shooting sports, robotics, floriculture, forestry, horticulture, and leadership. She also explored other project areas while helping friends with their projects, by starting small interest groups within her own club, or by attending workshops.
Hutchinson notes that she is "forever grateful for the extent to which 4-H projects expanded my horizons and skills." However, the most transformative aspect of her 4-H experience began when she attended Northwest PA 4-H Camp. "Through camp, I first began to love 4-H and to make lifelong friends," she says. "As every avid 4-H'er knows, camp soon opened the doors to what felt like five thousand other county, state, and national events that I built my entire schedule around (and that I looked forward to as if I wasn't the most sleep-deprived kid in my class)." Through her hard work and intense devotion to the 4-H program, Hutchinson eventually became a Senior Counselor, a member of Pennsylvania State Council, the recipient of multiple Diamond Clover Awards, the National 4-H x Coppertone Youth Ambassador, and, most recently, a member of the National 4-H Council's Young Alumni Advisory Committee.
After aging out of 4-H, Hutchinson pursued a degree in English with a minor in Biology and a concentration in Interfaith Leadership. "I realized that my distance from the agricultural and 4-H communities during my first semester of college truly took a toll on my attitude, my mental health, and my success," Hutchinson says, recalling her early college experiences. "I felt lost after so many years of prioritizing advocacy for both ag and 4-H and soon learned that I couldn't leave either behind. I decided that it was worth the extra effort to keep those communities in my life even if I wouldn't obtain an ag degree. Luckily, I was eventually able to find time to balance my studies, activities, and job with 4-H volunteer work, and to this day I volunteer at the county and state levels. I learned that making the effort to stay involved in 4-H--no matter my field--is integral to a fulfilling life."
Currently, Hutchinson is a first-year medical student. She notes, "There is no way that I could have reached this point on my journey to become a doctor without 4-H. After all, 4-H is what taught me the scientific method, to try new things, to view failure as anything but defeat, and most importantly to connect with other people. That six-year-old Cloverbud was considerably less outgoing, organized, resourceful, and ambitious than the person whom 4-H enabled me to become. I truly believe that when surrounded by the right friends and leaders, even the most hesitant 4-H newbie can discover that the resources of this organization can make a true difference in their life and the lives of others. If you dedicate yourself to 4-H's mission, you will learn to soak in every learning and volunteer experience like a sponge and to approach daunting leadership opportunities with enthusiasm."
As a medical student, Hutchinson has made it her goal to unify her medical ambitions with her agricultural advocacy. "When I began my medical schooling, I was shocked how few of my peers were acquainted with rural medicine and the rural community as a whole," says Hutchinson. Therefore, she is in the process of formally introducing her classmates to the concept of rural medicine and hopes to soon connect with her local 4-H program and to serve the underserved rural populace. "Even though I may not have a career in 4-H or agriculture, I have once again learned how worthwhile it is to be an ally to these communities," she adds.
In addition to her work as a 4-H volunteer, Hutchinson also served the past two years as a member of the National 4-H Council's Young Alumni Advisory Committee (YAAC). The YAAC is comprised of eleven young alumni who serve as ambassadors for National 4-H Council's mission in addition to offering a young alumni perspective to the Board of Trustees and to the 4-H organization as a whole. As a member of YAAC, Hutchinson worked to stress the importance of young alumni remaining involved in 4-H.
"Young people have so much to offer, and so we shouldn't mistake our youthfulness for a low amount of resources," notes Hutchinson. "On the contrary, time, effort, innovation, and the ability to grow are all qualities of young alumni that are invaluable to the alumni community and the 4-H'ers we support. Rather than leaving the 4-H program upon aging out, young alumni must realize that our ideas and stories can mentor the growth of current 4-H members. By working with National 4-H Council, the Board of Trustees, the USDA, my team, and other friends of 4-H through this role, I hope to have brought this mindset to the table."
As a voice for young alumni, Hutchinson continues to emphasize how crucial 4-H is to the development of the youth of America. She adds, "If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times: too often people exclaim how 'youth are the leaders of tomorrow,' but because of 4-H I know for a fact that youth don't need to wait for tomorrow--they are the leaders of today. 4-H has once again proven to me that that statement is true, and I am unbelievably excited for what my future experiences as a 4-H alumna and volunteer have in store for my own growth, but more importantly for the growth of 4-H youth."
