Current Miss SAU to tout values of 4-H in bid for Miss Arkansas title
By Ryan McGeeney
U of A System Division of Agriculture
June 8, 2018
Fast Facts:
- Grubbs hopes to spread knowledge of 4-H’s value to new audience
- Leadership and communication were key to her success
- Pageant kicks off June 12
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LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas 4-H is sure to be a topic of conversation during this year’s Miss Arkansas Scholarship Pageant, as one contestant makes the organization central to her platform.
Reagan Grubbs, a 4-H summer technician for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, will be competing in the pageant along with more than 40 other women from around the state. Grubbs, who grew up in Delight, Ark., currently holds the title of Miss Southern Arkansas University.
Grubbs, who recently graduated with a bachelors degree in agricultural business with plans to pursue a masters degree in agricultural extension education in the fall, said 4-H helped her discover her own leadership abilities.
“4-H has helped me discover who I really am through the leadership opportunities I was given, such as State 4-H Ambassador,” Grubbs said. “It helped me to not only get those leadership skills, such as communication, organization and responsibility, but it also gave me the opportunity to grow as a person.”
Grubbs said that becoming comfortable with leading others was a struggle as a younger person. Growing up, Grubbs said she struggled for years as a victim of bullying.
“The worst of it was in middle school, when entire classes would gang up on me,” Grubbs said. “There were always one or two people to stick up for me. But it was 4-H that really helped me to discover my own self worth.”
4-H helped her begin to thrive as a student in high school and then in college, Grubbs said. She now hopes to inform others about the value of 4-H — especially to those who either have not heard of the program, or who might think it doesn’t apply to their personal situation.
“4-H offers so much more than what many people know,” she said. “You don’t have to have an animal to be in 4-H. You can live in a city or a suburb. You don’t have to live in the middle of nowhere. Anybody can be part of 4-H.
“We grow leaders every day that help our communities, our state, and on the national level,” she said.
The 2018 Miss Arkansas Scholarship Pageant will begin Tuesday, June 12, at the Robinson Performance Hall in Little Rock.
To learn about Arkansas 4-H, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
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Media Contact: Ryan McGeeney
Communication Services
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2120
rmcgeeney@uada.edu