Local 4Her Attends Hawaii Educational Trip

Local 4Her and Junior Representative for the Tennessee 4-H State Council Reece Chandler recently spent some time in Hawaii to learn more about agriculture in that state. The six-day trip gave him an opportunity to meet 4Hers from across the country.

By Reece Chandler

2021-22 Tennessee 4H State Council Junior Representative

This past year I’ve had the honor of serving as a Junior Representative for the Tennessee 4-H State Council. This role allowed me the opportunity to travel the state meeting leaders in the agriculture industry, learn more about the local, state, and national trends in agriculture, and also represent Tennessee 4-H at other events. As part of State Council, I had the opportunity to attend a six-day trip to Hawaii to learn more about agriculture in Hawaii and about the local culture, and to share about 4-H programming in Tennessee.

On the first full day in Hawaii, we watched a presentation by Dr. Jenee Odami from the University of Hawaii Extension Veterinarian program to learn more about animal agriculture in Hawaii. We toured the Energy House at the Manoa Campus, learned about the topography and geography of Hawaii, and toured the University of Hawaii Insect Museum and campus. State Council members presented about the Tennessee 4-H program and some of the things we do here in Tennessee. My group presented on healthy livings programs in Tennessee, and I specifically talked about what a healthy living ambassador does and how they serve their communities. It was a great opportunity for me to talk about our Health Rocks program we led this summer in Weakley County. We also got to visit their beach in Oahu that day.

The next day we had the opportunity to tour the Dole Plantation where we took a train ride around the Dole Plantation and got to try Dole Whips, we explored the North Shore, and we assisted with the Hawaii 4-H Military Camp. At the camp, I got to help teach 4-Hers how to purify water. It was great to meet so many 4-Hers from other states including Hawaii.

On the third full day in Hawaii, we got up early and hiked Diamondhead trail, which was really interesting. Then, we visited Pearl Harbor where we took a boat to the Pearl Harbor National Memorial and listened to a presentation about the history of Pearl Harbor. We also got to shop at some local places on this day.

The next day we visited Koalua Ranch where we learned a little bit of the history of this ranch and how it came to be and then we took a boat to a small island just off the shore. We took a bus tour of the island where the tour guide showed us where they filmed part of movies like Godzilla and Jumanji. We also visited the Polynesian Culture Center where we learned about the different native Hawaiian tribes and watched a luau.

On the final day in Hawaii, we went snorkeling in Hanama Bay and visited a local aquarium to see some of the native sea life. Overall, I had a wonderful time learning about Hawaii and the culture. Never did I dream that I would one day have the opportunity to visit Hawaii and as a representative of Tennessee 4-H or get the opportunity to speak in Hawaii about projects I’ve been a part of back home in West Tennessee.