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May 27, 2020

UArizona to Hold Virtual 4-H Summit with Author Temple Grandin

TUCSON, Ariz. — High school and middle school students from 15 counties and five tribal communities across Arizona will come together via Zoom to learn about the University of Arizona, careers and community from university experts and students during the virtual Arizona 4-H Summit.

The summit was created to help 4-H youth understand how their skills and interests connect them to community, campus and career.

"The Arizona 4-H Summit is a premiere experience for Arizona 4-H youth to take their interests they are working on, their 4-H club work, and connect those experiences to University of Arizona researchers who are identifying real-world problems and finding solutions," said Jeremy Elliott-Engel, associate director for 4-H Youth Development for UArizona Cooperative Extension.

"We want young people to recognize how they can connect their passion to mastery and how this skill development today will pay off in the future," he said.

Students will participate virtually in STEM and career-related activities and will virtually attend the Clover Ball and Arizona 4-H Presents, an event to recognize volunteers, staff, youth and the Arizona 4-H Family of the Year. The Wystrach family of Sonoita will be inducted as the inaugural Arizona 4-H Family of the Year in recognition of the family's successful involvement in 4-H and contributions to the program.

"As a part of the Arizona 4-H Summit, high school and middle school youth will engage with a virtual LEGO Robotics platform, take a deep dive into community service, and have one-on-one networking experiences with businesses and career professionals," said event organizer Nick Morris, an associate in Cooperative Extension's 4-H Youth Development.

UArizona President Robert C. Robbins will welcome the participants to the virtual Arizona 4-H Presents. Temple Grandin, a 4-H alumna and former Arizona 4-H volunteer, will give a virtual talk during the Clover Ball. Grandin is a prominent proponent for the humane treatment of livestock and author of 60 scientific papers on animal behavior.

The 4-H program is implemented by the nation's land-grant colleges and universities through the Cooperative Extension system. University of Arizona Cooperative Extension has engaged with more than 100,000 young people enrolled in county-based programs, activities and events, with agents and clubs in counties and reservations across the state.

"Arizona 4-H is proud to be the youth development program of the University of Arizona, and we invite the University of Arizona community – alumni, staff and faculty – to join us in learning about how to make the best better," Elliott-Engel said.

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Media contacts:
Jeremy Elliott-Engel
University of Arizona Cooperative Extension
520-621-3390
elliottengelj@arizona.edu

Faith Schwartz
University of Arizona Cooperative Extension
520-891-8623
faithpschwartz@email.arizona.edu

The University of Arizona, a land-grant university with two independently accredited medical schools, is one of the nation's top public universities, according to U.S. News & World Report. Established in 1885, the university is widely recognized as a student-centric university and has been designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education. The university ranked in the top 20 in 2018 in research expenditures among all public universities, according to the National Science Foundation, and is a leading Research 1 institution with $687 million in annual research expenditures. The university advances the frontiers of interdisciplinary scholarship and entrepreneurial partnerships as a member of the Association of American Universities, the 65 leading public and private research universities in the U.S. It benefits the state with an estimated economic impact of $4.1 billion annually. For the latest on the University of Arizona response to the novel coronavirus, visit the university's COVID-19 webpage.