LOCAL YOUTH RECEIVE STATE 4-H AWARD – Brianna Downey, Evelyn Hill, Brin-Leigh Hoisington, Silas Kohler, Julia Luallen, Kendall Wild

The 2024 Ohio 4-H Achievement Awards were presented earlier this month at the Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center in Columbus. Local 4-H members received the following awards.

Brianna Downey from Canal Winchester won the Horse Achievement Award. Downey, 18, has been a member of the Rough Riders 4-H Club alongside her horse, Harley, for nine years. She shows in multiple classes and has received awards at the Fairfield County Junior Fair and many state events. She was also a four-year member of the Junior Leaders. She is currently a senior at Groveport Madison High School and is the daughter of Elizabeth McGrady and Patrick Downey.

Evelyn Hill from Lancaster won the Health and Safety Achievement Award. Hill, 17, has been a 4-H member in Fairfield County for seven years. She has taken a multitude of health-related projects and is currently serving as an Ohio Health Hero and the State Outreach Committee Chair on the Ohio 4-H Teen Leadership Council. She is a junior at Lancaster High School and hopes to study biochemistry as a pre-med track to pursue a career as an ER Physician. She is the daughter of Jessica Hill, James Martin, and Jason Hill.

Brin-Leigh Hoisington from Baltimore won the Leadership Achievement Award. Hoisington, 15, has been a 4-H member in Fairfield County for seven years. She is a camp counselor, a Junior Fair Board Member, and has had success at the Ohio State Fair, winning a clock trophy for her workforce preparation project. Hoisington is currently a freshman at Liberty Union High School and is the daughter of Ryan and Amber Hoisington.

Silas Kohler from Lancaster won the Dairy Achievement Award. Kohler, 15, began his 4-H career as a Cloverbud. He has shown dairy cattle, dairy feeders, and hogs, is a camp counselor, and recently attended the National 4-H Dairy Conference in Madison, Wisconsin. He is a freshman at Liberty Union High School and is the son of Jeremy and Hannah Kohler.

Julia Luallen from Pataskala won the Clothing and Textiles Achievement Award. Luallen, 18, has been a part of Fairfield County 4-H for ten years. She has achieved many awards at the county and state level for various sewing projects. She is a camp counselor, a member of the Fashion and Nutrition Board, and attended Sea Camp last summer. She plans to attend college in the fall to pursue a degree in occupational therapy. She is the daughter of Scott and Misty Luallen.

Kendall Wild from Canal Winchester won the Environmental Science Achievement Award. Wild, 14, began her career as a Cloverbud eight years ago. She has taken numerous STEM projects, which includes the area of environmental science, shows alpacas, and was the recipient of the Julie Miller Memorial Award at the 2023 Ohio State Fair. Wild also participates in the state demonstration contest and is a member of her county’s Junior Leaders, as well as Fashion and Nutrition Board. She is an eighth grader at Bloom Carroll Middle School and is the daughter of Christopher and Tiffany Wild.

Ohio 4-H Achievement Awards are presented annually to individuals for outstanding work in their project area. The evening was hosted by the Ohio 4-H Foundation, with 29 youth receiving 2024 honors.

Ohio 4-H is the youth development program of Ohio State University Extension, the outreach arm of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. In 2023, over 156,000 Ohio youth participated in clubs, groups, and special interest programs.