WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Being assaulted by a pig during her first year in 4-H didn’t cause Maddie Powell to drop out.

She went a completely different direction and excelled in 4-H at a high level during the balance of her 10 years in the youth development program. The 19-year-old Powell now has set her sights on becoming a Purdue Extension 4-H educator.

The central Indiana woman is entering her sophomore year at Purdue University, where she’s majoring in agriculture education and organizational leadership. Powell is the latest recipient of the Premiere Achievement Scholarship from the Indiana 4-H Foundation.

She expressed gratitude for being awarded the $2,000 to help offset the cost of her ongoing education. “It’s really amazing to see all of my hard work pay off,” she said.

The scholarship is sponsored by the Allen and Sherer families in memory of Janet Allen, a longtime Purdue Extension educator. Her brother, Roger Sherer, is a retired 4-H youth development educator in Wells County and a member of the Indiana 4-H Foundation’s executive committee.

Powell said she’s grown tremendously from 4-H in areas like developing leadership skills and wants to help other kids in the program achieve similar results.

“It’s given me so much and I would love to be able to give back,” she said.

Powell first enrolled in the agriculture portion of 4-H. She helped take care of a pig from her grandfather’s Tipton County farm and train it for show before a panel of judges.

Her first showing of the pig at the county fair was a disaster and the reason for her choosing another path in 4-H not involving agriculture.

“The pig ran away from me then the pig flipped me and pushed me against the wall, and I fell forward,” she said. “I said you know what? I don’t think pigs are for me.”

The following year, Powell began enrolling in a wide array of 4-H programs related to things like art, wildlife, weather, consumer clothing and healthy living. Her other activities in 4-H included staging fundraisers and other events to benefit her community.

Powell said her involvement in 4-H helped her break free from a shell and gave her skills primarily in leadership and public speaking. She also became more confident in herself.

Powell went on to become president of her 4-H Junior Leader’s club for three years. She’s been active in 4-H at the state and national levels.

Agriculture later became her focus again in a program about pollination and the potential impact that declines in the bee population might have on raising healthy fruits and vegetables.

She spoke about bees at a national 4-H conference in Washington, D.C., where she also learned about things like anti-bullying. Powell went on to help form an anti-bullying club at her high school.

Her other 4-H achievements include running a youth leadership conference at the Indiana State Fair. “It was really a great learning experience for my future,” she said.

Normally, Powell would no longer be eligible to participate in 4-H, but she’s able to continue with the program through her studies at the university.

Currently, she’s president of the collegiate 4-H branch at the West Lafayette campus. She’s also a member of the National 4-H Council’s Youth Advisory and Alumni Advisory Committee.

“I’m really excited to see what all of that will entail and being able to advocate not only for all of the 4-H youth but also the 4-H youth in Indiana,” she said.

She entered 4-H after her older brother, Michael, completed his 10th and final year in the program. Powell said she enjoyed being at county fairs and watching her brother show pigs, present food projects and judge animals in the show arena.

Her younger brother, Andrew, is also in 4-H with a few years of eligibility remaining.

Powell said she can’t imagine not being part of 4-H. She’s thankful for the opportunity to remain active in the program and, hopefully, become a 4-H extension educator after obtaining her master’s degree.

She imagined her life being much different without her years in 4-H.

“I’d be very shy. I definitely wouldn’t have the confidence or the speaking ability that I have today. It’s crazy to think where I would be without it because of the impact it’s had on all corners of my life,” she said.