SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Local 4-H members were recently awarded scholarships in recognition of their outstanding accomplishments in 4-H, in their schools, and in their communities. 

The Logan County 4-H Foundation presented 4 scholarships:

• Clay Aylesworth (Mt. Pulaski) received the Ross B. Conrady Memorial 4-H Foundation Scholarship. Aylesworth is a member of Topper 4-H Club. He is attending Lincoln Land Community College for their Agriculture Transfer program and then attending a 4-year university to study agronomy.
• Klarissa Helton (Middletown) received the Alice Jodlowski Memorial 4-H Foundation Scholarship. Helton was a member of Middletown 4-H Club. She is currently attending Hair Masters in Bloomington. She plans to get her cosmetology license and then attend Heartland Community College next fall to become a counselor.
• Miranda Nelson (Middletown) received a 2023 America’s Farmers Grow Communities, Sponsored by Bayer Fund, 4-H Foundation Scholarship. Nelson was a member of Middletown 4-H Club. She is attending Illinois State University and majoring in biology on the path to become an orthodontist.
• Stephen Starasta (Lincoln) received a 2023 America’s Farmers Grow Communities, Sponsored by Bayer Fund, 4-H Foundation Scholarship. Starasta is a member of Cloverdale 4-H Club. He is attending Iowa State University to study animal ecology with specialization in wildlife biology.

The Sangamon County 4-H Foundation presented 3 scholarships:

• Lily Frazee (Chatham) received a 2023 Sangamon 4-H Foundation Scholarship. Frazee is a member of the Sugar Creek Pioneers 4-H Club. She is attending the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to study agricultural and biological engineering.
• Erik Keeton (Waverly) received the 2023 Sangamon 4-H Foundation Livestock Scholarship and the Morrison Family Scholarship. Keeton is a member of the Talkington 4-H Club. He is attending Lincoln Land Community College to study agriculture and diesel mechanic technologies.
• Jane Simpson (Springfield) received a 2023 Sangamon 4-H Foundation Scholarship. Simpson is a member of the Cooper Jets 4-H Club. She is attending Missouri State University with a double major in business and sports management.

“We are thankful for our local 4-H Foundations who join us in recognizing outstanding 4-H members every year and supporting their continuing studies,” said Youth Development Educator Carissa Davis. “We are impressed by these 4-H’ers hard work, determination, and community involvement and excited to see how they will continue to excel in the future.”

To learn more about the opportunities available to local youth through the 4-H program, please visit extension.illinois.edu/LMS/4-H-youth-development.

ABOUT ILLINOIS 4-H: Illinois 4-H is the flagship youth development program of University of Illinois Extension and administered through the College of Agriculture, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences. 4-H grows true leaders, youth who are empowered for life today and prepared for a career tomorrow. The hands-on approach in 4-H gives young people guidance, tools and encouragement, and then puts them in the driver’s seat to make great things happen. Independent research confirms the unparalleled impact of the 4-H experience, demonstrating that young people are four times more likely to contribute to their communities; two times more likely to make healthier choices; two times more likely to be civically active; and two times more likely to participate in STEM programs.