The Faces of Iowa 4-H: Holly Bignall

Name: Holly Bignall

Current Position: 4-H Program

E-SET Coordinator

Birthplace: El Paso, Texas

Other Locations: Illinois, Germany from age seven to eleven, and Iowa

Education: Undergraduate degree in Biology and Chemistry from the University of Northern Iowa. Master’s in Women’s Studies, Philosophy, and Religious Studies from Iowa State University.

Past Work Experiences:

University of Northern Iowa - Cedar Falls, Iowa as a water quality project research assistant

Fort Dodge Animal - Fort Dodge, Iowa as a lab technician

The Imaginarium (hands on science museum) - Waterloo, Iowa as a science education director.

Hobbies/Interests: Being a mom, reading, biking and dancing.

Ultimate Goal in 4-H: Have a positive impact on kids by providing them opportunities to discover the fun and excitement of science, engineering, and technology. Help them become well-rounded citizens of this country, their communities, and their families because of the growth they experienced in 4-H.

I had the opportunity to interview Holly and I was extremely impressed by the way she spoke about her career and the 4-H program. What really left an impression on me was how fascinated she is with her job and how much she respects the people she works with everyday. Holly told me, “I love the people I work with! I work with the best people, and I have the best job. Everybody here genuinely wants to serve the youth, and we all care about each other. Everyone wants to be here, and we all believe in what we are doing and what 4-H is about!”

Like me, Holly was not a member of 4-H growing up and didn’t really know anything about it. She has now been working with 4-H for two and a half years. She helps run the E-SET program which stands for Extension Science, Engineering, and Technology. E-SET provides support to people doing science, engineering, and technology with youth. The goal is for the kids to have positive experiences so that they are excited to learn about and possibly go into science, engineering, and technology fields.

I asked Holly what she liked best about her job and she said, “I like that everything is different. I always have new projects and while it is hard it is exciting to pull it off in the end. It is so rewarding and I love having a part in that!”

What does 4-H Mean to Holly?

It means positive youth development and helping kids become healthier adults!

Holly and Antarctica Climate Secrets

Erika Pletcher

My Perspective now

I am new to the 4-H world and was not a member growing up. I honestly thought 4-H was a club only for the rural community, and the farming aspect of the state fair was the only big event that 4-H participated in. I had no idea how wrong I was. There are a lot of families that have no idea how much 4-H has to offer, and my goal is to take a good look into the heart of the organization and spread the 4-H story.

At the end of the summer I volunteered at the event "Stitch This" at the state fair! I was amazed by the creativity and originality of the high school participants. I spoke with one particular girl and she told me that she was really passionate about fashion and creating outfits. She said she was so glad that she found the opportunity to express herself through this 4-H event and that she loved to be challenged! I was amazed by the ideas these contestants came up with and I thought it was such a cool event at the state fair! There are many opportunities in 4-H and I am gaining so much knowledge from my experiences so far.

Erika Pletcher

Meet Our New Intern!

My name is Erika Pletcher and I am a junior majoring in Child, Adult and Family Services at Iowa State. This is my first semester at ISU as I transferred from the University of Northern Iowa this fall. I grew up knowing that I wanted to work with kids, but I always thought I wanted to be a teacher. Last spring I did my first level of student teaching and that is when I realized I wanted to work outside of the classroom and in more of an extracurricular/activities setting. I realized that I could still teach kids and young adults without being an actual teacher. My ultimate goal in life is to be a leader to kids and show them all of the opportunities they have. I just started interning with 4-H and I believe this is one of the best places to begin. I hope to learn more about 4-H and the programs they have to offer as I continue my journey. The one quote that I try to live by and I think is very important is “Do what you love and love what you do”.