First generation 4-H?er says program gives students boundless opportunities for growth

BY BRYCE KELLY

Mt. Pleasant News

If one wanted to make a case for the positives of joining 4-H they wouldn?t have to look much farther than 15-year-old Brier Klossing, of Mt. Pleasant.

A freshman at Mt. Pleasant High School, Klossing is an only child and first generation 4-H?er, and says she never had strong intentions of joining a local club until a friend pressured her into joining. Since then, Klossing says 4-H has never stopped being a part of her life, and she has grown into a leader within the organization.

?When we were both in fifth grade, I had a friend who really wanted me to join 4-H with her and she was always telling me how cool it was,? said Klossing. ?So eventually I went to my first meeting and immediately fell in love with it.?

Originally a member of the Triple C 4-H Club, Klossing eventually had to change clubs to accommodate her busy schedule. In high school, the freshman is currently involved in marching band, jazz band, trap shooting club and volunteers regularly for Silver Cord. Today, Klossing is a member of the Henry County 4-H Cooking Club 101 and the Henry County 4-H Sharp Shooters. Additionally, she was just elected to the Henry County 4-H Teen Council, an honor that is reserved for high school-aged 4-H?ers who exemplify leadership skills, and an exceptional love and passion for the 4-H program.

As her 4-H background can attest to, Klossing says she has endeavored to make her 4-H career as well-rounded as possible by dabbling in a myriad of project categories for county and state fair judging, while also being an active leader within the Henry County 4-H program. And while the freshman says she wants to remain open to trying new and different projects every year, her love for art has always been a staple throughout her years in 4-H.

?I do photography and visual art projects a lot,? she says, saying 4-H has given her an extra outlet for her passion for art and a way to apply what she learns in her high school art classes to extra curricular activities. ?But I have also done things with projects that deal with natural resources, the outdoors and wildlife.?

Among some of her more unusual projects that she says exemplify both her love for the outdoors and art was a turkey call she made from an actual leg bone of a turkey. In addition, an educational project she constructed from a beaver skull she found to teach others about beavers and their habitats went on to be her first 4-H project to be selected for the Iowa State Fair.

?There are just so many things that 4-H allows you to do, from creating projects for judging at the fair, to joining various groups that you might not be exposed to any other way,? Klossing says. ?There are still things I haven?t done yet in 4-H that I?d like to do like a working exhibit at the state fair or even showing an animal. Hopefully one day I?ll be able to get those things done, but we will see.?

As for Klossing?s parents, they say they love their daughter?s enjoyment of 4-H and hope she sticks with it. Klossing?s mother, Kelly, also says 4-H has helped her daughter mature and grow as a person.

?It?s (4-H) giving her a great life skills background. It?s teaching her a little bit about everything from cooking to sewing to caring for animals,? says Kelly. ?I was never in 4-H myself, but I love that she enjoys it so much. It?s been really good for Brier.?

And while Klossing admits that being a freshman in high school has certainly added to her busy schedule, she says she doesn?t plan to give up 4-H as her days become more hectic. In fact, she says she has a few words of encouragement to those thinking of joining 4-H, but who worry about the added commitment.

?4-H is about hanging out and being with friends, and that isn?t an extra thing to do. Everybody does that anyway as part of their day,? she says. ?But through that, 4-H also teaches you about leadership, which is something that everyone should be taught because it?s a really important life skill. I?d encourage anyone to just go to a meeting and see how fun 4-H really is.?