4-H Stories....
Allison Clarkson
Allison Clarkson is a student at the University of Tennessee at Martin. She was an active member of Williamson County, Tennessee's 4-H program. Here's her story...
I can't say that I remember the first 4-H event I went to because, I was only two weeks old when my mom, Brenda Clarkson, took me to our county sheep show. I guess you could say I was hooked from then on. In fourth grade I was so shy, but my mom forced me to give a speech. Thank goodness she did, because I would not be where I am if she had not made me.
That summer I started showing sheep. My first ewe was Bunny and Granddaddy taught me everything he knew about taking care of her. Mr. Ben Powell is a wonderful man and he means so much to everyone in the sheep project. After the long week at State Sheep Expo it was a joy to hear his voice for the awards. A whole summer of work was riding on the results written on those cards. Winning skillathon and premier exhibitor competitions meant so much to me, because I knew that my hard work had paid off.
Throughout my 4-H career I tried many things: raising chickens, showing rabbits, bug collections, showing sheep, electric demonstrations that didn't work, and anything else I had time for. My most memorable 4-H trip would have to be our county exchange trip to New Hampshire. The family I stayed with had no interior doors. Talk about adapting to new situations!!! However, the one thing that sticks out the most about 4-H was my time in All Stars. I started out as a Brave and told myself that one day I would be Big Chief. Those days of district and state council meetings were long but full of good memories.
4-H has not only influenced my past, but also my college career. I am serving as president of UT Martin's Collegiate 4-H Chapter and one of my roommates is Melissa Daniel. We met at State Congress and helped each other run for offices. Little did we know that we had started a new, enduring friendship. We later served on District and State All Star Council together. If not for 4-H and All Stars, we would have never met and would not be best friends. That is what 4-H is all about. Making lasting memories and meeting life long friends!!