Jana Schwartz of Minatare said she struggled in the classroom as a youngster, but her grades and everything else steadily improved over the years thanks to her involvement in 4-H and FFA. She’s now continuing to pass on her knowledge and skills to youth while also encouraging them as the 4-H Extension Assistant for Scotts Bluff County, a position she’s held for 18 years.
JEFF FIELDER Editor
MINATARE – As a youngster, Jana (Hill) Schwartz didn’t always enjoy going to school. That was often reflected in her grades.
“I really struggled to sit in that classroom environment,” she said. “If things weren’t real interesting to me, it was super hard for me to stay on task. My grades weren’t real great, and I think struggling in school was hard on my confidence.”
Slowly, however, Schwartz’s confidence – and her interest in school – started to grow, thanks to her involvement in the Chase County 4-H program. Schwartz, who now lives with her family in Minatare, said she got involved in 4-H when she was 7.
“4-H gave me a place where I felt like I belonged and where I felt like I could succeed,” said Schwartz, who grew up on a ranch in Imperial. “Showing livestock – mostly cattle – and doing all these other 4-H projects that my mom [Barb Hill] had me dive into really helped me kind of find who I was and allowed me to do something that I was really interested in and that I could be proud of.”
You can read the entire story in the August issue of Nspire Today! magazine. A one-year subscription (12 issues) is only $15. You may sign up for a subscription by sending $15 to Nspire Today!, P.O. Box 454, Scottsbluff, NE 69363, or you may pay with a credit card by calling 308-220-8865.
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