CORVALLIS, Ore. — While Oregon State University was quieter than usual as summer break began, the west side of the Memorial Union quad buzzed with the laughter and chatter of teens. They were here for the annual 4-H Summer Conference, held June 25-28.
Among them was 16-year-old Emmi Noe from Hubbard, who stood in the Milam Auditorium lobby, wide-eyed with both excitement and nerves. She was about to represent Marion County in the opening ceremony — a big step for a first-time 4-H conference attendee.
The only person Emmi knew was a friend from her county who had invited her. Everything else was new: the people, the place and the experience.
“It was all about meeting others who share your interests. The kids had the freedom to choose workshops and extracurriculars they liked. It’s a kind of independence they might not get elsewhere.”
“We are from Marion County, and Marion County is named after Francis Marion, who served in the American Revolutionary War,” she said clearly on stage, her cheeks slightly flushed.
After all the county introductions, 4-H ambassadors took the stage in construction hats and vests, announcing camp rules and instructions in construction puns, embracing this year’s theme of “building community.” Polk County claimed victory in the trivia challenge.
This year, the conference drew 222 teens from 28 counties across Oregon, including those like Emmi who are not enrolled in 4-H. The event offered a chance for youths to explore the OSU campus, take part in hands-on workshops and build friendships.
Making fresh salsa
The scent of chili and spices wafted through the second floor of Milam Hall. Christina Toledo, a 4-H education program assistant from Deschutes County, led a salsa-making workshop using fresh produce from a local grocery store.
Toledo showed students how to identify hot peppers, many of which were unfamiliar to first timers like Emmi. Her family grew tomatoes in their backyard, and she has watched her mom make salsa, but never tried making one herself.
Emmi put on plastic gloves and carefully trimmed jalapeños and tomatillos before her teammates boiled them. At home, she helps her mom cook and bake, and that experience showed — she kept the counter tidy, wiping it after each step and separating trash from compost.
“Cooking is a fun way to bond with people,” Emmi said. Homeschooled since childhood, this was her first time cooking in a class with peers. “I learned how to do things and synchronize with other people. I feel like it was really productive.”
Building a terrarium
By day two, Emmi had made friends like Olivia Hymas from Colton in Clackamas County. The two sat on the lawn outside the dorms, sketching a thimbleberry bush they discovered and chatting about the long pizza line at the cafeteria and their morning classes.
Later, students built terrariums, layering rocks, charcoal, moss and soil to create miniature ecosystems.
Nathan Plaisted from Westland in Clackamas County was thrilled. Like Emmi, this was his first time attending the 4-H summer conference. The 13-year-old has been involved in various 4-H clubs, including one focused on carpentry.
“I wanted to make a terrarium for a while, so it’s great to learn the process,” he said. “Building the layers looks like a cake, and I love cakes.”
He planned to take his terrarium — complete with a prayer plant — home to decorate his room. For Nathan, the campus experience was a highlight.
“I already know I want to go to college, but this gave me a better idea of what it will be like,” he said.
He was surprised by the freedom students had to explore the campus. Dutch Bros coffee runs and browsing the OSU Beaver Store became daily rituals.
First-time presenters
The Summer Conference was also a new experience for some faculty and staff, including Ashton Robertson, a 4-H external communications coordinator who led sessions on video production and zine making.
“What did you notice from the film I just played?” she asked students during her video class. “What kind of video are you hoping to make?”
Kids eagerly answered and collaborated in groups using iPads provided to make short films. One group even created a horror movie.
“They had so much fun, and I learned things by teaching the teens as well,” Robertson said. “It was great to support their creativity and see what they came up with.”
Zines with zing
That afternoon, Emmi joined Robertson’s zine-making class, folding a piece of A3 paper into a music-themed booklet inspired by one of her favorite bands, Arctic Monkeys. Outside of school, she’s passionate about the arts — music, fashion design and sculpture.
As someone new to 4-H, Emmi was inspired by what she called the “growth mindset” emphasized throughout the conference.
“I really like psychology, and I would like to learn it more in-depth in college,” she said. “Since I was in middle school, I would go to thrift stores and find old psychology textbooks. I find it really fascinating.”
It was Emmi’s first time staying on a college campus. Now, she said, she hopes to apply to OSU, where one of her cousins studied.
She was also grateful for a scholarship from the James and Shirley Rippey Family Foundation, which helped cover most of her registration fee. The foundation provided $25,000 in grants this year to help youths across Oregon attend the event. According to Robertson, about half of the teens in the conference this year are first-time attendees.
As the conference ended, Emmi said she felt happy to go back home again, but also sad to leave the new friends she had just made over the past three days.
“Sometimes I feel a little insecure with meeting new people, but this experience helped me open up a little bit more and feel more comfortable," she said. "I definitely want to come back next year.”
Robertson, who captured moments throughout the event in photos and videos, said she thinks the themes “build community” and “find your spark” truly came to life.
“It was all about meeting others who share your interests," she said. "The kids had the freedom to choose workshops and extracurriculars they liked. It’s a kind of independence they might not get elsewhere.”
As buses departed for counties across Oregon, students hugged goodbye, their bags packed with memories, new friendships and souvenirs like terrariums, leathercraft and crochet fishing nets. For many, like Emmi, the 4-H Summer Conference was more than a camp — it was a glimpse of a new extracurricular possibility.
“Maybe I need to join 4-H,” Emmi said, smiling as she looked forward to submitting some of her artwork at the county fair this year.
