Successful leaders must acquire communication and leadership skills to be effective. The 4-H program is a great organization for youth to learn and practice these skills to develop into future leaders. With hard work and effort, youth and teens can hone their skills to achieve their goals. 

Avery Cole is a shining example of how 4-H can shape leaders to be impactful communicators and effective leaders. After 8 years of 4-H involvement, Avery achieved two of the highest honors in 4-H-- Emerald Achievement and State 4-H Vice-President. She learned as a 9-year-old speech contestant that communications skills were vital for success, and therefore set goals to hone those skills. She participated in many different communication activities including competitions, serving in club officer roles, creating science experiment videos during the pandemic, and so much more. She also worked on her leadership skills by starting a foundation for the homeless called “Cold Hands, Warm Hearts”. She also started a program called “4 the Love of Horses” which gave 4-H horse club members, who did not have a horse, a chance to have hands-on experiences with horses. 

Avery’s early training as a club officer, helped her succeed as Area Teen Council President and State Teen Council delegate. She is now leading the Kentucky 4-H Program as state 4-H Vice-President, where she enjoys traveling across the Commonwealth to visit and mentor other 4-H members. She says that 4-H helped her to learn to delegate and develop her own style of leadership. She summed up her success after participating in the 4-H Emerald Interviews, “I truly understood how much I gained from 4-H and how it challenged me to implement all the skills I learned in 4-H, it also instilled in me a greater sense of leadership and professionalism”. Both Janet and Julie have worked with Avery extensively, helping her hone her communication and leadership skills and developing her into a successful leader.