Dawn Stuckey, Senior Agent, Hampton County 4-H Youth Development Agent
4-H continues to develop opportunities for youth to engage in STEM and career exploration through 4-H club work and the Hampton County 4-H Jr. Leadership Program. Community partners and sponsors allow 4-H Agent Dawn Stuckey to expose high school students to a wide array of career opportunities available in Hampton County. Students have completed site visits at Hampton Regional Medical Center, Palmetto State Bank, County Council Chambers with Councilman Dennis Thompson, Hampton Economic Development Office, and Webb Wildlife Center.
Michelle Strickland, Director of Marketing for Hampton Regional Medical Center, kicked off this year’s group with a detailed tour of the hospital, including the new additions that will be revealed soon. Students learned about the possible career options that work together to create the hospital’s medical system, as well as the array of services available to patients. Councilman Dennis Thompson led the second stop at the Hampton County Council Chambers and conference room. Councilman Thompson shared with the group the requirements for membership on the council and explained how each councilmember has assigned duties to carry out the work of the entire committee. After Mr. Thompson’s meeting, students were in the building, and a short trip to the Economic Development Office followed.
Mrs. Joann Lamprecht, Administrative Assistant for Economic Development, met with the group to explain the importance of attracting business and industry to our area, as well as ways we can make a good impression for those considering relocation to our area. Mrs. Lamprecht explained that the images and statements we make on social media and in public could attract or deter new opportunities, giving students much to consider. To wrap up our business and financial management portion of the program, the third voyage was to Palmetto State Bank,
Working with Beth Chafin, Director of Human Resources for Palmetto State Bank, Hampton 4-H Jr. Leadership students visited the local branch to meet with Branch Manager Joshua Barnes. Mr. Barnes led students through the bank’s corridors to meet with staff in every department, from tellers to web page managers. While in the IT department, Mr. Mark Altman and Mr. Cody Youmans explained that the new banking world leans more on technology than in the past. The need for web-based banking is increasing daily, and banks need employees skilled in these areas. The last stop this fall was at the James Webb Wildlife Center to begin our next career exploration, natural resources.
April Atkinson, the Project Manager at Webb, and her staff designed a program that not only shared the numerous careers with the Department of Natural Resources but also included several demonstrations explaining the work wildlife biologists are conducting on the site. The South Carolina Forestry Commission joined the group after lunch to build on the strategies Mrs. Atkinson spoke about for wildlife management. Mr. Drew Pressley arranged for fire staff and foresters to share the different types of firefighting equipment used to prescribe burns and contain wildfires. One critical connection made by the students was the importance of research and management for wildlife and habitat sustainability. During the spring, students will wrap up natural resources and agriculture with a visit to local farming operations to learn more about agribusiness, then spend the remaining time learning about local and state government.
Hampton 4-H Club is going strong. Recently, the club started a robotics project for students to explore coding and building robots to complete a range of tasks. The group is planning its next fundraiser to cover the cost of its community service project. They are also collecting gently used children’s books for their book box in McMillan Park beside the Extension Office. If you would like to donate to the book box, you may drop books off at the Extension Office at 12 Walnut St. E in Hampton or place them directly in the box.
To learn more about 4-H in Hampton County or to make a financial contribution to a 4-H program, please contact Dawn Stuckey at dstucke@clemson.edu.
