A Greene County 4-H’er recently attended a nation-wide conference in Washington DC.

Greene County Extension 4-H and Youth Coordinator Samantha Hardaway says Paton-Churdan High School sophomore Ella Tasler was one of six 4-H’ers from the Southwest Iowa region that went to the IGNITE by 4-H summit. Hardaway says the four-day event is intended to encourage teens to find their spark, explore career pathways and skill-building. 

Hardaway notes the Southwest Iowa participants did the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) program, with workshops dedicated to STEM education and related career fields. The activities included were on drones, decoding DNA, hydraulics and pneumatics, airfoils, force and motion, and using artificial intelligence for good. She points out that there were several guest presenters including Emily Calandrelli from Emily&39’s Wonder Lab, Chris Barton, founder and creator of Shazam; and Jenna Bush Hager, NBC TV host.

Hardaway says funding for the trip came from Iowa 4-H and Google. The six individuals also met with Senator Chuck Grassley while visiting the US Capitol. The 4-H’ers shared how the 4-H program impacted their lives and Grassley talked about his pathway into politics and encouraged the teens to get involved in their local government.