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BI student elected as state 4-H VP
Georgia 4HBlane Marable 20162
The 2016-17 Georgia 4-H State Board of Directors is shown above with State 4-H Leader Arch D. Smith and State 4-H Faculty member and State Board adviser Mandy B. Marable at the closing assembly of State 4-H Council. Pictured are, front row, left to right: Georgia Hanson, Northwest District representative-elect from Pike County, and Rylee Dickinson, Northeast District representative-elect from Stephens County. Middle row, left to right: Sophia Rodriguez, vice president-elect from Liberty County; Lukas Freeman, state representative-elect from Cherokee County; Emma Bacon, Southeast District representative-elect from Tattnall County; and Savannah Padgett, Southwest District representative-elect from Decatur County. Top row, left to right: James Hancock, president-elect from Irwin County; Hamp Thomas, state representative-elect from Chattooga County; and Kyle Sellers, state representative-elect from Columbia County. - photo by Photo by Blane Marable

Georgia 4-H’ers elected nine new individuals to represent them on the Georgia 4-H State Board of Directors during the recent State 4-H Council.

Candidates outlined their qualifications for office, answered extemporaneous questions and campaigned throughout the weekend event.

Each county across the state sent high school 4-H members as their voting representatives. These youth elected a president, vice president, three at-large state representatives and a representative from each of the four districts in the state.

Sophia Rodriguez, a rising 11th-grade student at Bradwell Institute, was elected as the 2016-17 Georgia 4-H State Board of Directors vice president. Rodriguez received the second-highest number of votes of any candidate.

She joined 4-H in sixth grade and has had numerous county and district-wide leadership roles, including serving as the president of Southeast District 4-H this past year.

Additionally, Rodriguez was one of five Georgia 4-H youth selected to attend the National 4-H Conference in April in Washington. She is also a Master 4-H’er.

Rodriguez and the other new board members will be installed into office at the Leadership Banquet at State 4-H Congress on Tuesday, and their terms of office will begin Aug. 1. They will attend State Officer Training in just a few weeks, where they will meet with 4-H Foundation donors and other supporters.

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