Scholarship Opportunities

Washington State 4-H is pleased to offer several different scholarships.  Washington State 4-H members enrolled and approved as of March 1, 2024 are eligible to apply. Applicants must have accumulated at least two years of 4-H affiliation. Previous Washington State 4-H scholarship recipients are not eligible to apply. Applicant must be a high school senior attending an accredited two or four-year college or university in the fall.

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In order to be fair to all applicants and make efficient use of staff and volunteer time, we require all applications to be submitted by March 15 no later than 9:59 PM via 4-H Online. Emailed applications will not be accepted. No exceptions are made to this policy. Applications MUST BE COMPLETE, with submission of all pieces included in order to be considered.

Be sure to plan ahead so you can ensure a positive scholarship application experience as the application closes automatically. The uploading of the combined application document can have varied durations due to a higher volume of use.

Washington State 4-H Scholarship Application Requirements

• Woody and Joan Bernard 4-H Scholarship– To be considered for one of the two $1,000 scholarships you must plan to attend a four-year accredited educational institution or two-year vocational institution.
• Lewis County 4-H Leaders Scholarships – to be considered for one of the three scholarships (Two @ $1,000, One @ $500) you must plan to attend a two- or four-year college. Applicants can be from any county in Washington State.
• O.M. Plummer Memorial Scholarship – to be considered for the $500 scholarship you must be attending a two or four-year college.
• Thomas R. Quann Scholarship – to be considered for this $1,000 scholarship you must be a current 4-H member and plan to attend a two or four-year college.
• Washington State 4-H Foundation Trustees Scholarship – to be considered for this $1,000 scholarship you must be a high school senior and attend a two or four-year college.
• WSU CAHNRS 4-H Scholarship – to be considered for the $3,000 and $1,500 scholarships available you must have been a 4-H Club member for a least two years, a leader among your peers, and plan to attend the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences at Washington State University your freshman year.
• J. Orville/Helen Young Memorial Scholarship – to be considered for this $500 scholarship you must be a current 4-H member and plan to attend a two or four-year college.

The Washington State 4-H Dairy Endowment also offers two $500 scholarships.  The Washington State Dairy Endowment Scholarship requires a separate application from those above and is due April 1st. The Dairy Endowment offers scholarships to present or former 4-H Dairy Project members – one for a high school senior and one for a current college student.  For information and to apply go to: http://extension.wsu.edu/4h/dairy-endowment-fund/

 

2023 4-H Scholarship Recap:

WSU 4-H Scholarships Showcase the Reward of Life-Long Skills

Denise Echelbarger, WSU Extension 4-H Youth Development Program

June 12, 2023

Pictured: (left to right) Catherine Hartrim-Lowe, Clair See, Tatum Goode, Nicole Poussier, Tryana Thompson, Laura Harris, (second row) Aleah Watterson, Jenna Cox, Taylor Alonzo, Amy Kovich, Jared Sheehan, and Emma Spalding.

Washington State University (WSU) Extension 4-H Youth Development Program and the WSU College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences (CAHNRS) are pleased to announce the 2023 4-H scholarship winners. We are proud to offer scholarship assistance to support Washington high school students currently enrolled as 4-H members.

 Catherine Hartrim-Lowe (Clark County) and Clair See (Skagit County) each received the J. Orville and Helen Young/4-H Fund Scholarship. Hartrim-Lowe will be attending Wheaton College in the fall of 2023. 4-H has been a part of her life since 2015, and she is a proud member of two Clark County clubs: Alpaca 101 and Sow, Bud, and Blossom. Over the years, 4-H has taught her incredible skills in self-discipline, communication, and inclusion. Claire See will be attending WSU this fall to complete a degree in biology with the goal of studying equine at WSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine. This past spring See participated in the Washington State Horse Bowl Contest for the first time, and learned more than she could have imagined.

 Tatum Goode (Clark County), Nicole Poussier (Pierce County), and Tryana Thompson (Clark County) were awarded the Lewis County Leaders 4-H Council Scholarship. Goode plans to attend University of Oregon in the fall to major in business with a certificate in global business. As a participant in the Royal Riders 4-H club, she showed horses, volunteered, and grew her leadership skills. Poussier has been a member of 4-H for fourteen years and will be attending the University of Washington to study biology and chemistry. Public speaking is a life skill that 4-H has provided for Poussier, which has given her the ability to overcome shyness and create a perfect presentation with reliable sources. Thompson has been a 4-H member since 2016 and seeks a higher educational goal of large animal veterinary medicine specializing in animal reproduction. When she thinks about the heart in the 4-H pledge she feels the heart is where the passion is. This passion drives 4-H members to accomplish goals, and to better understand how our actions affect others.

Laura Harris (Whitman County) was the recipient of the Thomas R. Quann 4-H Scholarship and will be attending the University of Idaho this fall to study computer engineering. Implementing coded design plans has been a passion of Harris’, but it wasn’t until she joined a 4-H robotics team that she realized it is what she wanted to do for her career.

 Aleah Watterson (King County) received the O.M. Plummer Scholarship of the Oregon Community Foundation and will be attending Montana State University to pursue a degree in rangeland management and wildlife ecology. Watterson has been a 4-H member for ten years and because of joining 4-H, every aspect of her life has been affected positively. She learned what it means to be a good teammate and leader, and how to give back to her community.

 Jenna Cox (Walla Walla County) was awarded the Woody and Joan Bernard 4-H Higher Education Scholarship and is enrolled in the Honors College at Montana State University. She plans to major in either ranching systems or embryology. Cox says 4-H has greatly influenced her decision on where she will be attending college and her life-long plans. She wants to stay involved with agriculture, and to strive for future generations to continue to participate as well.

Taylor Alonzo (Pierce County), Amy Kovich (Snohomish County), Jared Sheehan (Yakima County), and Emma Spalding (Grays Harbor County) have all been 4-H members for over ten years and are the recipients of the WSU 4-H CAHNRS Dettman Scholarship. Alonzo participated in the 4-H dog project and has had many wins and losses that have helped shape her into who she is today. On her initial state fair qualification, she was disqualified and was devastated, however it allowed her to grow from a setback and she has participated in every state fair since. Being in 4-H has taught Alonzo how to be a leader and, most importantly, how to persevere. She will be attending WSU to major in animal science through CAHNRS pre-veterinary medicine track. Kovich’s 4-H career began with small animals and grew to include public speaking, veterinary science, gardening, foods, leadership, and large animals. The culmination of the lessons she learned in 4-H sparked her interest in wildlife ecology and conservation which is the degree she will be pursuing within WSU CAHNRS. Sheehan’s 4-H dairy and swine projects, community service, public speaking, and dairy judging competitions taught him the qualities of hard work, problem solving, patience, leadership, and to take advantage of opportunities to achieve higher goals. Sheehan will be attending WSU for a double major in mechanical engineering and agricultural technology/production management, pursuing a goal of working in the agricultural industry using heavy machinery and precision agriculture technology. Spalding’s love of animals began with her involvement in showing dairy and swine in 4-H. She appreciated how connected the 4-H members were in the show barns, and how willing everyone was to help each other. Spalding enjoyed teaching younger 4-H members and the public about her various animal projects. At the age of thirteen she started volunteering at a local veterinary clinic, and has decided to major in animal sciences at WSU CAHNRS because of her passion for animals.

Congratulations to all the 2023 award recipients that dedicated their 4-H experience to learning life-longs skills, being role models, and continuing to work towards accomplishing their next steps in higher education. For more information on the Washington State 4-H scholarship opportunities or to support 4-H visit extension.wsu.edu/4h.