Warren County High School senior Grant Hitchcock has been elected as 2017-18 Tennessee 4-H State Council President.
“My main goal is to serve the 4-H Club to the best of my ability,” said Hitchcock. “I want to help better serve my state through this opportunity. I’m thankful to have this opportunity.”
The election process was undertaken during the 94th annual Tennessee 4-H Roundup and All Star Conference.
“I decided I wanted to run for president,” said Hitchcock. “I got campaign material ready before I went. When I got there, I started campaigning. I gave away candy, stickers and stress balls. We had a lot of fun with those stress balls.”
In order to obtain the distinction, Hitchcock had to run for the Central Region nomination as president before facing the nominees from the Eastern Region and Western Region. He made three speeches: one during the Central Region nomination process, one with his two opponents, and a final one prior to voting.
“The first one I spoke about why I wanted to run for president, my qualifications and what I wanted to do as president. The second one, when I spoke to the state, was similar. The third one I got up and thanked everyone for what they had done that week, their support of me and asked for their vote one more time.”
The president’s responsibilities are vast. Throughout the year, there are three weekend-long state council meetings, numerous conferences and Tennessee State Fair in September. His attendance is required at all functions.
Hitchcock’s time as president will be the culmination of eight years of dedication to 4-H.
“I was in fourth grade when I joined 4-H,” said Hitchcock. “I’m going to be a senior this year, so this will be my eighth year. I’ve really enjoyed it. I don’t think I knew what 4-H really was when I started. As I got older, that’s when I really understood the benefits of 4-H and the services it provides. This was my third year attending the Roundup. I decided to run for president and began working towards it.”