Jorgensen wins coveted Danforth Award

Northwest Missouri State University freshman Hannah Jorgensen was pleased to receive the most prestigous award of the day Sunday when she accepted the Danforth Award as part of the 4-H Awards Day at the Warren Cultural Center.

A 2017 Nodaway Valley graduate, Jorgensen is on the tail end of her 4-H career, which has included her leadership in the Adair County Youth Council as well as the Summit Stars 4-H Club. Jorgensen attended Adair-Casey High School for three years before transfering to NV, where she was heavily involved in several activities.

Jorgensen's 4-H involvement began very early on, when she was in third grade.

"My mom was a leader before that and my brothers were in 4-H, so I've been tagging along since day one," Jorgensen said, noting her mother, Jeanette, has still been a club leader for many years. "This is my last year and it's kind of sad, but it's been a good 10 years."

Throughout the years, growing up on a farm, Jorgensen became involved in many of the agricultural aspects of 4-H, raising cattle, and so on. Between that and the record keeping 4-H encourages, Jorgensen feels she's been well-prepared to take next steps in life.

"4-H has helped a lot when you've needed to fill out all your activities you were in on all those scholarships, and it's super easy to look back in my record book to see what I did this year and what I did that year," Jorgensen said.

"The people who work in the extension office have been such a huge help, and the way that the club system works, going from being a younger member to the older kids stepping in and helping, our club is a very young club," she added. "Getting that opportunity to lead those younger kids so they have the opportunities I had [were growing moments]."

Another one of Jorgensen's highest achievements came when she received a project award at the state level. Jorgensen endured a rigorous entry and interview process to receive that award.

Jorgensen studies Agricultural Science and holds a Agricultural Communications minor at Northwest.

"I did those for three years, and that resume writing helped for now, when I'm resume writing for internships in college," Jorgensen said. "I don't think I'd be able to do any of the things I do now without 4-H."