By Mark Squibb
Two young women, one from Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove and the other from St. Mary’s, have been named recipients of 4-H Canada’s L.E.A.D. (Leadership Excellence Awards of Distinction) scholarships valued at $20,000 each.
Olivia Taylor hails from Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove. A recent graduate of St. Kevin’s High School, Taylor joined the 4-H Club when she was nine and has participated in a number of 4-H projects and conferences over the years.
“As someone who grew up with a single mom, who saved up money for schooling, this is a burden taken off of us, knowing that a big chunk of my schooling will be paid for,” said Taylor, who is currently studying Journalism at College of the North Atlantic. “It’s a big weight lifted off our shoulders for sure.”
Taylor is a gifted public speaker and has won over 25 speaking competitions at both the provincial and national level since joining 4-H, where she did her first ever public speech.
“When I first joined 4-H, public speaking was mandatory,” said Taylor. “I joined this club to train cows; I didn’t realize that public speaking was required. So, it was a little intimidating but I did my first public speaking demonstration and won. I remember I did a demonstration on how to braid an American Girl Doll’s hair.”
Through her involvement with 4-H, Taylor said she has deepened her appreciation for farming.
“Agriculture is something that I’m really passionate about, whether if it will be as a job or as a hobby, and there’s not many organizations in Newfoundland that inform youth about agriculture and allow them to have hands on learning, so I’m very fortunate and thankful that I had that when I was young, and still do,” said Taylor.
To encourage others to give the club a try, Taylor recalls the words of former 4-H member Liam O’Brien, a native of Cape Broyle, who was named the recipient of a $100,000 Loran Scholarship in 2018, whom she heard speak when she was younger.
“One thing he said that stuck with me, that I still think about today, was ‘Apply. Apply. Apply,’” said Taylor. “Even if you think something is out of your comfort zone, your comfort zone is never going to grow if you don’t step out of it. And 4-H is a good way to grow your comfort zone.”
Taylor, meanwhile, was also recently named Newfoundland and Labrador's representative on 4-H Canada's Youth Advisory Committee (YAC).
As a member of YAC, Taylor will contribute to and help develop the 4-H Club at a national level.
Amy Bishop of St. Mary's-Riverhead was also named a L.E.A.D. scholarship recipient.
Bishop, who joined her local 4-H club over a decade ago, said she was shocked to learn she had earned the scholarship.
“There's so many amazing youths across the province and across Canada, I thought that I would have to be really lucky to be picked,” said Bishop. “It was an exciting experience.”
During her time with 4-H, Bishop has been able to travel and meet young people across Canada, participate in programs and events throughout the province, and take on leadership roles within the club.
“I love this program,” said Bishop. “I’ve grown so much as a person because of 4-H. When I first joined as a little girl, I didn’t know how to find my voice or make an impact. And after 12 years of being in 4-H, I’ve been taught to be confident in my abilities, and that one person can make big changes in the world. Hopefully, in my future, I can help other youth realize their potential. This program gives youth so many amazing opportunities to grow, to experience once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, and I’m so thankful I was able to join this program.”
Bishop is working towards a Bachelor of Science degree at Memorial University of Newfoundland and plans on specializing in dentistry. She hopes to help make dental care more accessible in rural communities, and credits 4-H with attuning her more to the needs of others.
“I wanted to help combat a problem that I think there is in the dentistry industry,” said Bishop. “I feel that dentistry needs to be more accessible in rural towns. Dentistry is an industry where you get to help people out everyday, you get to meet people. I think that’s truly amazing, and so dentistry is really something that I’m excited to be a part of. I look forward to what the future holds.”
Like Taylor, she recommends youths join a local 4-H Club if at all possible.
“Give it a shot,” said Bishop. “Like with any organization, you don’t know the impact of joining that club or joining that group. And in 4-H, you get to experience some really cool stuff, and do some really cool activities. But there’s so much more to it. There’s a lot of personal growth from being involved… and you get to meet so many amazing people, so many amazing youth, some who are like you, and some who have very unique backgrounds that may be different from yours. So, give 4-H a try. There’s so much good in our program.”
Both women are invited to attend an awards presentation in British Columbia this April, where they will also be paired with a career mentor, another perk of being named a scholarship recipient.
4-H Canada hands out four L.E.A.D, scholarships annually. Besides Bishop and Taylor, Andrew Jones of Ontario and Victoria Pitsiaeli of British Columbia were named 2023 scholarship recipients. Each scholarship aligns with a pillar of the club — Taylor’s scholarship represented Community Engagement and Communications while Bishop’s represented Environment and Healthy Living.
The last youth from this province to be named a recipient of the scholarship was McAuley Bellows in 2018.
4-H, which enables young people ages 6-25 to participate in a number of local and national projects and activities, boasts over 20,000 members and leaders across Canada.
