4-H Shines A Light On Sarah Helmuth's Future Career Plan

Sarah Helmuth, Lambert Hi-Litters 4-H Club member, has been participating in 4-H for ten years.

"I was born into 4-H! My brother is ten years older than me, so when I was born, he was busy participating in 4-H it is definitely a family thing," stated Helmuth.

Throughout her time in 4-H, she has competed in many local and state events and has shown many animal and indoor exhibits. "Some of my favorite projects are my breeding projects because I get the reward of showing my animals at the fair, and I enjoy the opportunity to show off my animals' genetics," said Helmuth.

This year she will be showing her breeding gilt, market pig, cow and calf pair, and market steer. "My goal for this year is to be in the top half of my class for market animals and showmanship," added Helmuth.

Helmuth has been working hard all year on her 4-H animal projects. She explained that COVID-19 has affected 4-H by allowing her more time to spend with her animals. "This is a time when I normally don't have a lot of time to work on 4-H projects because I'm busy with other things such as golf and school, but I am glad I had the opportunity to spend time with my animals," explained Helmuth

Although she is only showing animals in four different classes this year, she has had an extensive history of showing all sorts of animals. "Oh man, I've shown a lot of animals throughout the years! It all started with showing my rabbit, then I started showing market swine, breeding swine, market beef, breeding beef, and horse," stated Helmuth.

Helmuth not only participates in 4-H animal exhibits, she also has a leadership project. "Another project of mine that I love is my leadership project. It has given me so many opportunities to touch on subjects that other projects don't - such as showing my self-identity and explaining how I express who I am," said Helmuth.

One of her favorite parts about 4-H is helping young 4-H members. "I love seeing them grow as individuals and watching them become independent," stated Helmuth.

In the fall, Helmuth will be attending the University of Mary in Bismarck, ND, where she will be studying elementary education and early childhood development. She said,"4-H has definitely played a role in my career path. I have always loved helping the younger members and being around children. 4-H gave me so many opportunities to help little kids, and it definitely shined a light on my teaching path."