Christine Fry selected to serve as a California 4-H State Ambassador

A Chowchilla 4-H club member has the distinction of being the first in the community to serve as a California 4-H State Ambassador.

Christine Fry is a natural-born leader. Add to that her hard work, dedication and community service, it is no wonder she was selected to serve as a California 4-H State Ambassador.

The California 4-H State Ambassador Program is a working honor that provides 4-H members expanded opportunities to serve the University of California 4-H Youth Development Program. The ambassador position is one of the highest service opportunities and recognition attainable in the University of California 4-H Youth Development Program. Ambassadors are youths who have excelled in the areas of leadership and community service. They are selected to serve the 4-H Youth Development Program in roles that promote leadership through education and service.

Fry, a member of the Alview-Dairyland 4-H Club, is the first 4-H member in Chowchilla to be selected to serve as an ambassador. She joined 4-H at the age of 9 and has been an active member ever since. She has served in various offices in her club including reporter, historian, vice president and president. She has taken advantage of every opportunity offered to her through the 4-H program, growing with each project and always accepting the challenges to not only meet new goals but to exceed the expectations she sets for herself.

Club projects, showing at fairs and community service projects helped prepare Fry for leadership roles in the county and then state.

Besides being an ambassador, she serves on the Animal Science Educational Advisory Committee, California State 4-H Horse Classic – Youth Committee member and California Citizenship Focus Team. She has been a Madera County All Star and was a Madera County Teen Leader award winner. Fry’s list of accomplishments in 4-H is extensive.

Through 4-H, Fry has been actively involved in numerous community service projects, all giving back to the Chowchilla community, which she says has provided her with so many opportunities. In fact, she credits not only her family, but service clubs and organizations that have offered her the opportunity to grow through various programs like speech contests and leadership camps.

One of the first to encourage Fry was her 4-H Community Leader Paula Hansen. Fry remembers being very shy when she first joined 4-H. Hansen made her feel comfortable and helped her overcome her shyness.

Fry, a senior at Chowchilla Union High School, has a 4.0-plus grade-point average. She has served in numerous offices within the FFA and earned her State Farmer Degree and was named the Barn Dance Queen last year.

She is also a member of the varsity waterpolo team, varsity swim team, member of the California Scholarship Federation. She has won numerous speech contests including Lions and Rotary.

Fry has a passion for horses. She has won many awards in competitions throughout the state. Her goal is to one day become a equine veterinarian.

Fry has proved she can handle a heavy load and be successful. She is organized, dedicated and not afraid to work hard to get where she wants to be in life. This soft-spoken young lady has a gentle spirit, a giving heart, a solid foundation and the determination to succeed.

This story was originally published September 25, 2014 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Christine Fry selected to serve as a California 4-H State Ambassador."