NJHA Newsletter

Winter 2007

NJHA PRESIDENT
Maria Holl

Greetings from Snowy Wisconsin!  Although we have more snow than usual in Wisconsin for this time of year, it has not frozen NJHA activity.  The snow does not stop me from enjoying a walk in the woods.  However, the coldness does and then I can be found studying for my plant biology class.  I enjoyed meeting everyone at convention in Fort Wayne, Indiana and anticipate recognizing many faces next year.  Then again, I truly believe that the more people at convention the more memories we all have, so I hope that each one of you will bring a friend or two to the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in Spartansburg, South Carolina for next convention. As President, I look forward to serving NJHA as the Officer Team attends winter meeting, evaluates previous convention, and plans next convention.  I have complete trust in this year’s Officer Team and know they will serve the organization to the best of their abilities.  The Youth Coordinators have been doing an outstanding job of communication on the message board.  Keep sharing your ideas as we use your input when planning the next convention.

NJHA VICE PRESIDENT
Angela Fisher

Hello everyone!  I hope you all had a great time at the convention in Fort Wayne and am excited for next year.  I am honored to serve NJHA as Vice President.  I currently attend West Virginia University majoring in Agronomy.  Agronomy is a flexible major where I will be able to work for a seed company, state extension service, or an agriculture government agency.  I live on a cattle and hay producing family farm in West Virginia.  I started out taking exhibits to the county fair through 4-H, and before long I was involved in state horticultural contests.  My first NJHA experience was in Cleveland, Ohio which was a blast.  This year as Vice President, I am responsible for the YC message boards.  The involvement of YC’s this year has been awesome!  If you have any questions about becoming a YC or NJHA in general, feel free to contact me.  My email address is wvblueandgold@hotmail.com and my AIM is Angie1646.

NJHA SECRETARY
Martha Keckler

Hello to everyone!  I am the Secretary for the NJHA Youth Officer Team.  Currently I own several businesses and attend classes at Longwood Gardens. I hope that everyone who attended the convention in Fort Wayne, Indiana enjoyed themselves.  In the upcoming year, I hope to help promote NJHA to non active states.  I am also working on a grant for the National Junior Horticultural Association financial fund.  This grant will help the organization to be able to give more scholarships to youth in different communities to promote agriculture and horticulture in a bigger and better way. 

EASTERN DIRECTOR
Ben Brown

Greetings from the East Coast!  I have been currently serving NJHA as Eastern Director of the Officer Team for the past three years.  While being raised on a farm in Easton, Maryland on the Eastern Shore, I have been involved with horticulture early on and have loved every moment of it. Currently, I am in my sophomore year of college at the University of Maryland majoring in Environment Science/Horticulture with a focus in Landscape Architecture.  Over the next year, I plan to promote NJHA to the eastern states that currently do not have horticultural programs in their county or state.  By reaching out and introducing the field of horticulture, NJHA will “Go and Grow” in the present and in the future. 

CENTRAL DIRECTOR
Jonathan Posthuma

Greetings from your Central Director of the NJHA Officer Team!  I am a senior at Central Wisconsin Christian Schools in Waupun, Wisconsin.  I have been a member of the “Alto All Stars” 4-H club for 9 years and have served as president, treasurer, and reporter.  I have always loved 4-H and have participated in swine, drawing and painting, ceramics, photography, and flowers/houseplants for many years.  It was this desire for competition that led me to meet Byron Hacker, a county fair judge.  Every year he judged my flowers and houseplants and he soon told me about NJHA.  At first I did not want to go to NJHA but my parents encouraged me to. My first convention was in Cleveland, Ohio in 2005.  I had no idea what I was suppose to do, but I studied hard and did my best ending with several awards and making new friends.  I was convinced to become Wisconsin’s YC and ever since my career in NJHA snowballed and now have been Central Director for the past two years.  I want to pass my excitement in NJHA on to others and encourage new participants.  NJHA has taught me not to be afraid of people or challenges but to work with them.  Looking back I see several people who knew what was best for me, but looking ahead I see what may become of myself and others if I try my best and push for achievement.

WESTERN DIRECTOR
Alex Culp

It’s been said to “love like you’ve never been hurt.” I interpret this to mean love everyone and everything around you, and to be passionate about what you’re doing. I’ve lived on the coast of southern California for almost 19 years, but have traveled up and down the state and across the nation too many times to count. As a past 4-H State Ambassador and National 4-H Conference delegate, I’ve become really interested in California agriculture and the current issues surrounding it. Career wise I’m not sure where I’m heading but for graduate school I would like to earn my law degree and find ways to help people with aviation, agriculture, and real estate policies and issues.
 
While I kill every pine tree we’ve ever owned, succulents seem to thrive in my area. Or perhaps it’s because I can go out of town for a week and come back to find the succulents still alive. With 4-H this year I’m helping to plan and implement our state’s Horticultural Contest and Plant Sciences Event. Outside of horticulture, I’m Captain of my college’s flying team, with my other interests revolving around aviation, school, cars, self defense, reading, and enjoying life with my family and friends.
 
This year I feel very fortunate to count among my closest friends many of the Youth Coordinators. The camaraderie among NJHA participants is what I think to be one of the organization’s greatest strengths. You never quite run out of conversation topics while at the convention; whether it’s riding on the bus and playing “name that tree” after the tree has already passed, or sharing your poison ivy story and finding that many other young horticulturists also were not fortunate enough to recognize the plant, or discovering just how different everyone’s lives are. It doesn't matter what the story is, because it’s what brings us closer together.

This year I’m working towards small steps in order to “think big.” Meaning, along with my goals and duties as Western Director, my friends and I are working on the initiation of a CAJHA. I believe that by setting up this sub-chapter of NJHA, it’s not just one state that would benefit but everyone across the nation. Getting started is often one of the hardest parts of any program, but once a program is strong and sustainable, it eases the path for similar programs to grow and flourish as well. Sometimes in order to think big,  first you need to think small. Whether it is by taking action, setting an example, trying something new, or simply supporting those who do so, what we do now as individuals effects more than just us. Right now we keep hearing we’re the future of horticulture, but we’re also the here and now.
 
A favorite quote of mine is by Amelia Earhart, “A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees. The greatest work that kindness does to others is that it makes them kind themselves.”

PAST PRESIDENT
Nicole Pedersen

Hello from Nebraska!  I am currently serving as Past President of NJHA.  I am so excited to once again be a part of planning the convention.  I have been an active member of NJHA for the past 4 years and have served in the officer positions of President and Western Director.  I am very excited about NJHA this year because the Officer Team has great ideas and we are ready to help NJHA “Go and Grow”. I have been very active with the 4-H horticulture project in my area, helping many youth to learn more about horticulture and become involved in their communities.  I hybridize iris and love growing roses.  Other than horticulture I love to bike, volunteer, and spend time outdoors.  I look forward to working with each of you again to make our world a little greener.

NJHA OFFICER TEAM ADVISORS
Mike Ensor and Debbie Gegare

The NJHA Officer Team enables youth to enhance their skills in communication, leadership, and responsibility.  Youth Officers network through on line chats, message boards, and emails with their peers; learn more about our country; and become contributing citizens in our society.  As one officer has said “There is no I in Team” and that is the emphasis of our Officer Team.  The winter and summer meetings are both equally important for the Officers to develop as a team and to complete their responsibilities for the year and for the convention.  Seeing youth take on their responsibilities and accomplishing their goals is quite satisfying.  Through the officer positions, they continue to “Go and Grow” as young adults through NJHA. Upon entering the work force in their professional lives, the youth take their experiences and skills learned as an officer and use them in their careers.  The Officers and Advisors appreciate the Board of Trustees and many others who have contributed many dollars and many volunteer hours to help support our Officer Team.  If any youth are interested in becoming and officer, then go to the njha.org website and click on Nominations for Officer.  We wish all our Officers “Full Speed Ahead” with their goals and achievements throughout the year!