4-H alumna Madeline McEachin says, "I believe 4-H made me who I am today and taught me so many fundamental skills that have helped me to accelerate my life after leaving the 4-H program."
No matter what they choose to do after leaving the program, 4-H alumni make a difference wherever they go. In our series of alumni highlights, Pennsylvania 4-H explores the work and achievements of former Pennsylvania 4-H'ers around the state and throughout the country. This month, we are featuring alumna Madeline McEachin, who was a 4-H member in Butler County for ten years.
McEachin began her 4-H journey with equine and dairy goat projects. However, she quickly became involved in leadership opportunities like participating in Butler county's Youth Council, being an attendee and camp counselor at the Northwest Pennsylvania 4-H Camp, participating in the Northwest Pennsylvania Teen Leader Retreat, and serving as a camp counselor for the Westmoreland County Horse Camp. McEachin also took part in statewide 4-H programs such as State Leadership Conference, Capital Days, Team Horse Power, and even served as the President of the Pennsylvania 4-H State Council.
Looking back at her time in 4-H, McEachin says, "I believe 4-H made me who I am today and taught me so many fundamental skills that have helped me to accelerate my life after leaving the 4-H program." She explains that her biggest take away from 4-H has been a growth mindset. She notes, "When I reflect on the years following my time in 4-H, one of the things that has helped me the most has been the belief that I can and should try anything that I dream of and even if I don't succeed, I still benefited from the experience because of how it helped me to learn and grow. There were so many opportunities to try new things in 4-H and my parents, 4-H leaders and 4-H Extension educators did an incredible job of encouraging me and supporting me when I took advantage of them."
Although she has aged out of the program, McEachin has continued to maintain a close relationship with 4-H. "I have been fortunate to stay close to the PA 4-H program over the past years, helping where I could and where there was a need, most often with State council," she says, "I look forward to being able to continue to volunteer with the program in the future and hope that my future family will be heavily involved in 4-H."
Currently, McEachin is a human capital consultant at Deloitte Consulting. In her role, she works to help her clients understand how to best support their employees as businesses grow and change. "My time in 4-H cultivated a love of agriculture, people, leadership, and service," notes McEachin, "In my current career, I am tapping into my love of leadership and people and am building a broad set of business skills that I hope to be able to leverage in the future to contribute to my community and the agriculture community at-large."
Speaking of her work at Deloitte, McEachin explains, "4-H absolutely prepared me for my current career and more importantly, I think 4-H prepared me for life. In my career, the 'soft skills' such as communication and leadership are often as important, if not more important, than technical skills, and they also are often the most difficult to teach. I have been so grateful that at a young age I learned such valuable life skills."
When asked what advice she has for current 4-H’ers, McEachin says, "Take advantage of as many opportunities—camps, clubs, seminars, state-wide events, and leadership positions—as you can while in 4-H…You will learn so many skills that will be applicable to your future and that many others don't learn until later in life, giving you a head start! Also, take advantage of the community of people that you have in 4-H and work to build relationships with them," she adds. "4-H is full of some of the best people to have in your corner and they may become your friends and mentors for life!"
