Katie Ridenour’s summer 4-H leadership trip to Alaska was one that can be described as adventurous. This is Katie’s 9th year in 4-H, and she had to fill out an application to get selected for this trip. It wasn’t something that every 4-H kid will get to experience.
Katie taught a day camp for 5 days while in Alaska.
“I taught about The Art of Nature, we taught everything from drones, to taxonomy, to one point perspectives using to drawing biomes and ecosystems,” she said.
This experience for Katie was very cultural immersion and helped her step out of her comfort zone, but she really enjoyed it. Katie said, “I loved getting to see the differences between our state and Alaska.” She also commented that the only way in or out of the city is by boat or plane!
Other students and educators on this trip include Tami Mosier, Steuben County Extension Educator; Emily, a sophomore at Angola; Paige, a junior at Eastside; Addie, a senior at Leo; and Effie Campbell, DeKalb County Extension Educator.
Katie said her favorite part of the trip was “Most definitely the kids. Getting to hear about each kid’s background and everyday life was pretty awesome.”
Katie also commented saying “They live very different lives than us and told us all about how they had to learn how to fish and pick berries or else they wouldn’t survive because prices of food there are outrageous.”