For Arkansas 4-H alumna Diamond Jones, advocating for the next generation of 4-H members is “like watering a plant,” she said. “We grew from seeds, and now it’s time to help these new flowers bloom.
“We want these youth to be the change agents of tomorrow, so to make that happen, we have to show them that we still care, that people still care about their growth,” Jones said.
Jones, 20, was recently appointed to the National 4-H Young Alumni Advisory Committee, along with four other program alumni. The committee members serve as advisers to the National 4-H Council and the Board of Trustees, and as ambassadors for the organization.
As a committee member, Jones said she will act as a “bridge between teenagers in today’s extension 4-H programs and donors and alumni.”
“My experience as an alumni can really impact the generation of 4-H’ers coming along,” Jones said. “Alumni and donors have the chance to support these kids financially, helping them travel to Citizenship Washington Focus in D.C., helping them take their first flight, giving them these learning opportunities.
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“You can really grow from these experiences, and 4-H gave me those opportunities from a young age,” she said. “I want those who are in 4-H now to have those same opportunities.”
Jones joined Pulaski County 4-H in 2016 at 11 years old and graduated from the program in 2024. She served as a Teen Leader, Teen Ambassador and as Arkansas 4-H State President.
Throughout her time in the program, Jones competed in fashion design, public speaking and later in impromptu speaking. Leadership was her main 4-H project, and her second project focus was STEM, “which are two things that I really enjoy and that I’m still continuing to pursue today,” Jones said.
“It helped me find my passion,” she said. “It made me beyond ready for what’s to come.”
Jones will be a junior at the University of Arkansas this fall, where she is majoring in food science on a pre-med track. She hopes to become a pediatrician, a calling which she said was informed by her experiences in 4-H.
“I’ve always loved helping kids from a young age, and that probably also spawned from my 4-H experience and the summer camps we put on,” Jones said.
“We are excited to watch Diamond grow in this new opportunity,” said Debbie Nistler, 4-H and youth development assistant vice president for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “She was a strong leader in our Arkansas 4-H system, and we know she will have a strong impact on 4-H at the national level in this new role.”
Jones said she looks forward to sharing her 4-H story with donors, alumni and with current members because “4-H has definitely made me who I am today.”
“I want to continue reaching out to 4-H’ers and inspiring them,” she said. “You don’t have to be from a rural area to be in 4-H. You don’t have to show cattle; you can do anything you enjoy. I want to show kids that there’s more out there to be explored.”
To learn more about the National 4-H Council, visit 4-h.org. To learn more about Arkansas 4-H, visit 4h.uada.edu or contact a local county agent.
4-H is a youth development program operated by the Cooperative Extension Service, part of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. The program teaches participants life skills through the “learn by doing” model. Program participants gain knowledge through non-formal, science-based, experiential education activities.
Rebekah Hall is with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.