Chester County 4-H recently recognized exceptional leaders among its members, presenting the Spirit of 4-H Award to one individual and Certificates of Achievement to four others who demonstrated dedication and leadership within their clubs.

According to Penn State Extension, 4-H club leaders nominate one member from each club who "demonstrated the most spirit, enthusiasm and willingness to do anything for 4-H or the community." Once nominated, the members are asked to complete and return an application to be reviewed by the 4-H Program Development Committee, which selects the Chester County 4-H member who is most deserving of the award.

Extension educator Toni Stuetz explained that the nominees are required to answer six questions on the application: "What does 4-H mean to you?" "How has 4-H had an impact in your life?" "What kind of community involvement have you had with 4-H and on our own?" "How have used the skills you have learned in 4-H in your life so far?" "Is there anything else we should know about your involvement in 4-H?" "What do you think you can do to tell people about 4-H and recruit new members?"

Stuetz noted that students frequently talk about their involvement in the Chester County 4-H Fair on their applications. Held annually at the Romano 4-H Center in Honey Brook, the event includes a series of shows and exhibits that showcase the work of the 4-H members throughout the year

"They write about 4-H contests, their volunteer activities, participation in the fair and in their clubs," she said. "The nomination form that the leader submits is everything from two to four sentences to a whole essay." She noted that Certificate of Achievement winners, which are honorable mentions for the Spirit Award, may be nominated again.

In 2025, youths who were recognized with Certificates of Achievement are Alexis McCafferty, Audrey Ibach, Arush Dubey and Megan Johnson.

Alexis was nominated by both the Chester County 4-H Swine Club and the Golden Fleece 4-H Sheep Club for her leadership, effective communications and willingness to help others in the clubs. Lexi has been in 4-H for eight years, is a club officer and is a member in the Chester County 4-H livestock clubs.

Audrey is a seven-year member of the Northern Chester County 4-H Horse & Pony Club. She is active in her club, serving in different leadership positions, helping with her club's horse show and participating in several community events representing 4-H. Audrey has attended the 4-H State Leadership Conference to expand her leadership and communication skills and has competed in the hippology contest to expand her equine skills.

Arush was nominated for his leadership in the Clover Engineering Club, a 4-H club he helped establish in the summer of 2024 to meet the interests in expanding 4-H STEM opportunities in Chester County. Arush serves as a Pennsylvania 4-H State Project Ambassador and helps to provide a teen voice to encourage youths to engage in 4-H STEM opportunities.

Megan is only 13, but she started in 4-H as a Cloverbud at age 5. She is active in both Chester and Montgomery counties and is involved in sewing, dairy goats, dog training, shooting sports, County Council, the turkey project and camp. She serves as a teen leader helping many club members with their sewing projects at two clubs and is active in educating the public about agriculture, helping with school presentations at the Unionville Fair and serving on the Kimberton Fair court.

The winner of the 2025 Chester County Spirit of 4-H Award is Ronak Suchindra. Ronak was a National 4-H Youth in Action winner in 2024-25 and serves as the National 4-H Council youth spokesperson. Ronak has been in 4-H since age 8 and continues to mentor the Chester County competitive robotics team. Ronak received a plaque in recognition for being selected winner of the Spirit of 4-H Award, as well as having his name on a plaque displayed at the Chester County 4-H Center.

"4-H has had a huge impact on my life by helping me discover my passion and developing my skills to become a leader in STEM," Ronak said in his application. "Through robotics fairs, public speaking competitions and 4-H community service initiatives, I discovered my passions for leadership, STEM and a drive to serve my community." Ronak is now a freshman attending the University of Pennsylvania.

The Chester County Spirit of 4-H Award was started in 1998 by the Saddle Up 4-H Horse and Pony Club. In 2007, the club, with 4-H Advisory Committee support, made the Spirit of 4-H Award a countywide award that is presented to one Chester County 4-H member each year.