COLUMBUS — Greenville High School graduate (2017) and long-time 4-H member Molly Hunt received the 4-H Teen of the Year award at the Ohio 4-H Conference in Columbus earlier this month.
Currently an Earth Science major at Ohio State University, Hunt has earned many such recognitions over the course of her 12 years in 4-H, including being named collegiate facilitator at the 4-H Youth Summit on Healthy Living; Outstanding Darke County 4-H Girl; being crowned Darke County Junior Fair Queen in 2016; and being a member of the Ohio 4-H Teen Leadership Council.
Still, Hunt said that receiving this latest award was an eye-opener.
“It was very humbling being surrounded by all those excellent 4-H members from across the state,” Hunt said. “It’s a humbling experience.”
In addition to receiving her own award, Hunt got to watch four of her friends inducted into the 4-H Hall of Fame. She was nominated for the Teen of the Year award, which recognizes hard work and dedication to the 4-H program, by OSU extension educator Rhonda Williams.
Hunt said that even though she’s moved on from high school, her time with 4-H is far from over.
“I’m still very, very involved,” Hunt said. “But now I’m more on the planning side of things, working with state 4-H specialists and planning programs for younger members.”
Some of those programs, according to Hunt, involve helping younger 4-H members take care of their emotional, as well as physical, well-being.
“A big part of my of my focus is on mental and emotional health,” Hunt said. “Teaching kids about confidence and helping them have a healthy mind, which then helps them have a healthy body.”
As part of that focus, Hunt started a group for middle school 4-H girls called Clover Confidence.
“We talk about building positive relationships, and things that don’t necessarily get taught in school,” Hunt said.
Currently, Hunt is working on a program called Ohio 4-H Day at the Capitol, in which 4-H members would come to the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus to meet legislators and voice their opinions on important issues. The first Day at the Capitol is slated to take place next spring.
“We’re big into trying to combat the opioid crisis,” Hunt said, “as well as encouraging legislators to continue to support agriculture, and youth organizations that support agriculture.”
Those youth organizations, according to Hunt, are where future leaders and legislators are being created even as we speak.
In the meantime, Hunt expressed gratitude to those back home who have helped her to get where she is.
“I just want to thank the Darke County community,” Hunt said. “I would not be where I’m at today without them.”
