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Published on 01/17/20

Georgia student selected as runner up for national 4-H award

By Cristina Luisa deRevere

National 4-H Council today announced that Lavendar Harris of Covington, Georgia, is a runner up for the 2020 4-H Youth in Action Pillar Award for STEM.

Harris, 19, seeks to bridge the gap to provide youth access to STEM experiences and careers and is nationally recognized for her commitment to providing STEM access to youth. She created an interactive STEM curriculum with monthly activities for fourth through sixth graders in her community and later launched an annual STEAM (including art) day camp, which just completed its fourth year.

“I got involved in my community because of 4-H,” says Harris. “I told my 4-H agent about my interest in STEM and that I didn’t see many STEM opportunities for kids. She gave me the freedom to lead by creating the STEM curriculum and camp.” Through 4-H, Harris has positively impacted more than 500 youth through her STEM and STEAM programs.

The 4-H Youth in Action Awards, sponsored in part by HughesNet, began in 2010 to recognize 4-H’ers who have overcome challenges and used the knowledge they gained in 4-H to create a lasting impact in their community. To learn more about the 4-H Youth in Action program and the 2020 runners up, please visit 4-H.org/YouthInAction.

ABOUT NATIONAL 4-H
4-H, the nation’s largest youth development organization, grows confident young people who are empowered for life today and prepared for career tomorrow. 4-H programs empower nearly six million young people across the U.S. through experiences that develop critical life skills. 4-H is the youth development program of our nation’s Cooperative Extension System and USDA, and serves every county and parish in the U.S. through a network of 110 public universities and more than 3,000 local Extension offices. Globally, 4-H collaborates with independent programs to empower one million youth in 50 countries. The research-backed 4-H experience grows young people who are four times more likely to contribute to their communities; two times more likely to make healthier choices; two times more likely to be civically active; and two times more likely to participate in STEM programs. Learn more about 4-H at 4-H.org, find us on Facebook at facebook.com/4-H and on Twitter at twitter.com/4H.

ABOUT GEORGIA 4-H

Georgia 4-H empowers youth to become true leaders by developing necessary life skills, positive relationships and community awareness. As the largest youth leadership organization in the state, 4-H reaches more than 175,000 people annually through the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension offices and 4-H facilities. For more information, visit georgia4h.org.

Cristina deRevere is the public relations coordinator for Georgia 4-H.

Authors:
Cristina Luisa deRevere
Experts/Sources:
Arch D. Smith
Lavendar Harris is a runner up for the 2020 4-H Youth in Action Pillar Award for STEM.
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