WEYBURN – Kate Axten of Minton is one of four 4-H members from across Canada who will receive the 2022 4-H Canada Leadership Excellence Awards of Distinction (LEAD) scholarship of $20,000 from 4-H Canada.
LEAD is 4-H Canada’s most prestigious honour, recognizing outstanding youth members who demonstrate 4-H values in their everyday lives. The awards recognize youth who have become exceptional leaders through their 4-H experience, and who share the best of themselves with their communities.
She has been a part of the Radville 4-H Field Crops Club for the past 10 years. She has enjoyed the many opportunities that 4-H has provided her with, including public speaking, and loves that 4-H has allowed her to connect with, and act as a leader for youth in her club and community.
Kate lives on her family’s grain farm at Minton, and comes from a family of innovative farmers who like to try new ideas. This has inspired her love of agriculture and her passion for food and business. The connection between how food is grown, and the health of the food and environment, is something she feels everyone needs to know about.
Kate feels regenerative agriculture plays a role in the connection between food, health, and the environment, and is passionate about how this area of agriculture can be utilized in improving human health and food security.
International Food Business is what Kate plans to study at the Dalhousie University Agricultural Campus in Truro, N.S. Through this program she will be able to gain a better understanding of the food system, not only in Canada but internationally as her second year of study will take her to the Netherlands.
LEAD scholarships are made possible through a generous partnership with CN, a long-time supporter of 4-H Canada and strong champion for advancing leadership in rural communities across Canada. Each LEAD recipient receives a $20,000 scholarship toward their four-year post-secondary studies.
In addition, recipients are matched with a high-impact mentor from within their field of study. This mentorship relationship is an invaluable component of the award program, supporting LEAD recipients as they move forward in their careers.
The highly sought scholarship is awarded annually by 4-H Canada, in partnership with CN, to four outstanding 4-H members who embody the 4-H youth movement and demonstrate personal development, community impact, and leadership excellence in relation to one of 4-H Canada’s four Leadership Development Pillars, which are as follows: Community Engagement and Communications, Science and Technology, Environment and Healthy Living, and the pillar for Kate, Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security.
Kate looks forward to taking on a leadership role in the agri-food world and thanks 4-H for all the skills and leadership opportunities that have come her way as a member.
