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Berrien 4-H Member Tabbed as State Award Winner

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A Coloma teen has achieved the highest honor bestowed on any member of the 4-H in all of Michigan, honored for her specialty in the Visual Arts. Morgan Gruss, a 4-H member from the Countrysiders 4-H Club in Berrien County was selected as the winner of the 2020 Michigan 4-H State Award in Senior Visual, Performing, and Expressive Arts.

The Michigan 4-H State Awards Program took place on June 24th through a Zoom webinar due to the pandemic.  While 4-H members were unable to gather at Michigan State University (MSU) as in past years, the Recognition Celebration was able to be held via Zoom allowing 4-H members along with their family and friends to attend the program.

A Michigan 4-H State Award is the highest honor bestowed on Michigan 4-H members, and are designed as an opportunity for 4-H members to receive recognition while developing their leadership skills and personal portfolio. The program features a Junior and Senior division in 20 project areas as well as a group award category. To enter the competition, 4-H members submitted an application that included a cover letter, resume, 4-H story, and questions that highlight the life skills, project content knowledge, leadership development, and civic engagement experiences 4-H members have gained through their 4-H projects.  Applications were scored, and up to twelve delegates in the Junior, Senior, and Group divisions for each project area were invited to represent their county in the statewide competition.

4-H members selected as delegates were provided opportunities to participate in exclusive training on interviewing skills and networking. Senior delegates and groups advanced to further competition where they completed a video conference interview with the selection committee. A virtual networking experience was provided for delegates to meet with members of the Michigan 4-H Foundation Board of Trustees prior to the Recognition Celebration. This year, 64 youth representing 25 counties applied for a 4-H State Award.

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Morgan Gruss is one of this year’s winners. Her specialty is in Visual Arts and her favorite project is Tin Punch. Throughout her 11 years in the 4-H program, she has been selected as Treasurer and President for her club. Within her involvement in 4-H, she has learned many skills including responsibility, problem solving, and organization. She plans to incorporate those skills into her future career in medicine, with a goal to become a part of Doctors Without Borders and be able to travel while performing medicine. She loves to spend her free time volunteering in her community and hanging out with friends. Her favorite memories of 4-H include going to 4-H Exploration Days, the county fair, and making new friends. 4-H has been a big part of her life and has helped her become the person she is today.

The Michigan 4-H State Awards Program is open to all 4-H members ages 13-19. For more information, you can visit online at the link below:

https://www.canr.msu.edu/4_h_scholarships_and_recognition_program/4-h-awards-and-recognition-program/youth-recognition

To learn more about the Michigan 4-H Youth Development or Berrien County 4-H, youi can contact the Berrien County MSU Extension Office at 269-927-5674.