4-H leader motivates other youth

By LYNN MONTGOMERY | East Texas Edition

March 24, 2002 -- Leann Calicutt knows how to motivate young people, a skill she has developed through her involvement with 4-H, a national organization geared to build young people's life skills.

Speaking to several area FFA and 4-H members, as well as the many others attending the recent East Texas Banking and Agricultural Conference, Calicutt emphasized the importance of youth in agriculture.

Calicutt, a senior at Texas A&M University, joined 4-H at the age of 9 and by the age of 14, she was elected president of her local 4-H club. Her senior year at Arp High School, Calicutt became president of the State 4-H Council, which leads over 600,000 young people across the state.

"I found the 4-H program to be the most beneficial and enjoyable extracurricular activity that I was involved in. I set my goal as I began to mature in the 4-H program and I began to understand all the opportunities it had to offer," said Calicutt.

"I could have never done this if I didn't 100 percent believe in what the 4-H program has to offer," continued Calicutt, "and if I had not been willing to take the chance to learn something new."

Calicutt has also had the opportunity to serve on the Texas 4-H Congress as governor. This Congress is a mock legislative process that really sparked Calicutt's interest in the political arena.

"Agriculture and the land requires risk-taking and working, and (agriculture) needs leaders to represent different areas. The time is approaching when today's youth will quickly be transformed into tommorrow's leaders," stated Calicutt.

Following her political interest, last fall, Calicutt, along with 11 others from Texas A&M University, traveled to Washington, D.C. to work with U.S. Congressman Ralph Hall. She happened to be working in Washington, just down the street from the Pentagon, on Sept. 11.

"This was one of the experiences that has changed my life forever, in a good way, because I actually saw our government come together. I saw the president. I saw congressmen. I saw concerned constituents and leaders come together for our nation, for America," replied Calicutt.

"Agriculture and the people who work throughout the industry have given me so much that I am thankful for," she said.

Calicutt told the youth at the recent conference that "involvement in youth organizations and activities, whether it's FFA, FHA or 4-H, can open doors into your future; but the real opportunity lies within you individually, to motivate and challenge yourself to learn, to grow and to take risk. Find something to challenge you to be excited about life."

This summer Calicutt will be studying in France for five weeks to learn about agriculture and international trade. She will graduate in August from Texas A&M University.