Learning a New Way

4-H’er learns employment skills at 4-H Career Days

Story by Leah Barbour • Photos by Kevin Hudson

Some children are lively and ready to talk to anyone who’ll listen, while others are more reserved, quiet, and shy. But all kids need opportunities to try new things, develop life skills, and meet new people.

The Mississippi 4-H youth development program offers young people the chance to figure out where they belong— including what they like and what they’re good at—and a chance to make new friends. French Camp teen

Maggie Jo Phillips participates in Attala County 4-H, and she’s taking advantage of it to figure out just where she belongs.

Delivered by the Mississippi State University Extension Service, 4-H offers hands-on activities and education in agriculture, civic engagement, healthy living, and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics). But for Maggie Jo, who is homeschooled, one of the top benefits of participating in 4-H has been the chance to make friends.

“Socialization has not really been my strong point, but it’s improving. I’ve made friends here in 4-H and also at Club Congress last year. One of them shared my dislike of socialization, and we became friends over that,” she laughs. “If you do 4-H activities, you’ll automatically find people with similar interests to you.”

Maggie Jo has discovered lots of 4-H activities that appeal to her, including sewing and cooking, and she appreciates the flexibility 4-H offers.

“4-H is great for trying a variety of things. For example, I can try bread making, but I don’t have to commit to practicing bread baking for 6 months—I can bake more bread, or not,” she explains. “I participate in the Attala County Fair just about every year in 4-H. I enter things I’ve made, like crochet or painting. Initially, I’m like, ‘I don’t have anything to bring,’ but then I think it over for about 2 seconds, and I realize I’ve got so many things.”

Last summer, Maggie Jo decided to participate in 4-H Career Days as part of her 4-H Club Congress experience, and she interned at Twigs Nursery and Landscaping in Oktibbeha County.

“I was on the fence, but my agent (Becky Hamilton) explained that I could shadow someone who is doing floriculture or horticulture or even biological engineering,” Maggie Jo says. “After that, I was like, ‘I can do this, I can do this.’ Then, when I found out I’d be shadowing at Twigs, I knew I had to do it.”

For Maggie Jo, having the opportunity to work in a small, privately owned business gave her the chance to understand what working entails, and she enjoyed it.

“Being in an employee-type role at Twigs was very beneficial to me even though I was only interning,” she emphasizes. “I had wondered, how on earth do you work for someone? But I really enjoyed what I did, and now, I can make a more informed decision on whether or not I actually want to do that for a living.

“For me, working at Twigs really solidified that I want to work with plants. I enjoyed working at Twigs, and I understand how working with plants requires care and attention to detail.”

Before she participated in the internship, Maggie Jo completed 4-H workshops focused on job interviews, résumé development, and professional etiquette.

“Everyone needs to learn those skills to be able to get a job, and getting to learn it in 4-H has been great,” she says.