2026 Collegiate Scholarships Awarded to Stand Out Students

Nicholas Miller, Winnebago County

Nicholas is a senior at St Mary’s High School in Neenah. He has been a member of Ridgeway 4-H Club for 11 years. Nicholas participated in 4-H projects such as woodworking, communications, citizenship, leadership, and the arts. As a youth leader in 4-H, he attended several regional, state and national events, such as Arts Camp, Fall Forum, American Spirit and was a WI State Fair exhibitor. Within his club, Nicholas was a club officer and volunteered in many community service projects. Nicholas was known for submitting exceptional 4-H record books, documenting his years as a 4-H member. Nicholas plans on attending UW-Stevens Point in the Fall.

Evan Numrich, Winnebago County

Evan Numrich is a lifelong 4-H member from Neenah, Wisconsin, whose 13 years in the Ridgeway 4-H Club have shaped his passion for leadership, service, and youth development. Throughout his 4-H career, he has explored a wide variety of project areas, including Mechanical Sciences, Foods and Nutrition, Photography, Youth Leadership, Service Learning, Computers, Woodworking, and more. Evan has served in numerous leadership roles at the club, county, state, and national levels, including Club President, County Leaders Board President, Wisconsin Leadership Council member, and National 4-H Congress Youth Leadership Team representative. He has also been selected to represent Wisconsin at the 2026 National 4-H Conference. Through mentoring younger members, organizing community service projects, leading camps and workshops, and speaking at events, Evan has developed strong skills in communication, teamwork, and servant leadership. As he prepares to attend the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, he looks forward to continuing to serve others and applying the values and experiences 4-H has instilled in him throughout his future career.

Aliyah Thompson, Fond du Lac County

Wisconsin 4-H has been very influential in Aliyah’s personal and professional growth throughout high school. Through her four years in Helping Hands 4-H Club, she grew from a shy freshman into a confident leader, and even ended up serving as Club President from 10th through 12th grade. In this role, Aliyah led meetings of more than 30 members and worked with youth of all ages. Through her Photography, Visual Arts, Child Development, and Flowers projects, Aliyah developed creativity, responsibility, and a willingness to try new things.

Beyond working on my fair projects, 4-H taught Aliyah the importance of mentorship and community involvement. The leadership and responsibility skills she gained through 4-H inspired her to pursue additional leadership roles outside of 4h throughout high school and helped her persevere through personal challenges. This scholarship is helping make Aliyah’s education at UW–Madison possible and supports her goal of becoming an attorney. Throughout college and beyond, Aliyah will continue applying the values of leadership, service, and lifelong learning that she gained through Wisconsin 4-H.

Macie Bruhn, Wood County

During Macie’s 4-H career over the past 13 years, she has held many leadership roles and spent countless hours volunteering within her community. She couldn’t imagine her life without it. Participating in demonstrations starting in Kindergarten 4-H helped Macie feel comfortable standing and talking in front of a group of people (kids and adults) with confidence. She knows this skill will help her in the future with her own business since she will be working with customers every day. Having the opportunity to serve in many officer positions for her club and learning the different leadership skills within these positions helped Macie grow as a person. She learned to be a leader within a group by setting tasks to accomplish the end goal and listening to other ideas provided by the group members. This experience taught Macie the importance of teamwork to complete a goal by taking a task and running with it, as well as the importance of listening to others and setting a good example for other members within her club.

Grace Valeria, Shawano County

Grace has been in 4-H all her childhood. She has shown at the Shawano County Fair for almost 14 years through many projects like poultry, visual arts, photography, etc. While showing in these projects, Grace won a merit in visual art and high honor awards through poultry, such as best showman for three years. Grace also served as secretary and vice president of her club for the past two years. These awards and honors show Grace’s dedication and time in the 4-H experience. She has learned so much from 4-H and hopes to continue to somehow be part of Wisconsin 4-H.

Evelyn Ashbach, Pierce County

Evelyn Ashbach is grateful to be this year’s recipient of the Wisconsin Rural Opportunities Foundation Scholarship. She grew up in Clifton Township, outside of River Falls, WI. She was raised to be a helper, whether on her grandparents’ farm, in their church, Ezekiel Lutheran, or through her 4-H club, Town-N-Country. She has volunteered her time and energy, and in return gained valuable leadership skills and a passion for learning. Grace started her college journey at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in 2024, and is majoring in Psychology with an emphasis in Industrial Organizational Psychology. With this degree, she wants to go to graduate school and help businesses train and hire employees with evidence-based techniques. Wisconsin 4-H was one of the catalysts for Grace’s growth in school, and she will always have fond memories of the projects she helped with and the community service she did. 4-H helps connect individuals in rural areas, like Grace, to others in town and in surrounding areas. Because of that, she grew up around good people and her foundation was strong.

Alison George, Buffalo County

Alison is a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin–River Falls majoring in Animal Science, and plans to attend veterinary school to become a rural large animal veterinarian. As a fourteen-year member of Buffalo County 4-H, Alison developed leadership, communication, and service skills that have shaped both her personal and professional goals. She served as president and secretary of her 4-H club, president and vice president of the Buffalo County 4-H Leaders’ Association, and was honored to represent Wisconsin as one of four delegates selected for the 4-H Ignite Beef Ambassador program in Washington, D.C. Inspired by that experience, Alison created and continues to host an annual livestock showmanship clinic that teaches youth valuable skills in beef, sheep, swine, and goat projects. Mentoring younger members and giving back to her community have been some of the most rewarding parts of Alison’s 4-H journey. She is grateful for this scholarship and the support it provides as she pursues her career in veterinary medicine.

Brooke Mitchell, Crawford County

4-H has always been a very large part of Brooke’s life. She grew up taking full advantage of the endless opportunities this organization had to offer. From the Beef Project to the Speaking and Demonstration Contest, Brooke has truly done it all when it comes to 4-H. She also had the chance to go on amazing travel programs, such as the American Spirit Experience out East. Brooke’s involvement over the years even led to one of her proudest moments: receiving the 4-H Key Award. This organization allowed her to grow not only personally, but also professionally. It has given her the ability to pursue a college education at UW-Madison, where she is thankful for the opportunity to receive scholarships such as the Oscar G. and Mary M. Woelfel scholarship to help support her lifelong dreams.

Caleb Demmon, Washington County

Caleb Demmon is a proud member of the Kirchhayn Trotters 4-H Club in Washington County. Throughout his years in Wisconsin 4-H, Caleb has developed leadership, communication, and service skills through a variety of roles and activities. He has served as President, Vice President, Reporter, Ambassador, and Historian for his club, helping lead meetings, organize events, and support fellow members. Beyond his club, Caleb serves on the Washington County 4-H Leaders Board, where he helps make decisions that impact youth across the county.

Caleb has also given back to 4-H as a camp counselor, archery youth leader, and foods project youth leader, mentoring younger members and helping them grow in confidence and skills. His involvement in leadership and service reflects the values of this scholarship award by demonstrating dedication, responsibility, and a commitment to helping others. Wisconsin 4-H has shaped Caleb into a leader who strives to make a positive difference in his community, and this scholarship will help him continue that mission as he pursues his future educational goals.

Katelyn Schult, Lincoln County

Throughout Katelyn’s time in 4-H, she has been awarded many best of show awards in multiple fairs. Katelyn has entered many exhibits in visual arts every year, which led her to major in graphic design. She enjoys the photography aspect of graphic design, which was the project that she entered the most in and was always seeking feedback on.

Katelyn held many officer positions in her club over the years. Now that she is in college, she is enrolled as an adult volunteer. Katelyn was also elected secretary of the collegiate 4-H group at UW-Stevens Point. The past two summers, she worked for Price and Taylor County 4-H and helped with youth programming. 4-H has helped Katelyn gain more confidence in her leadership, and has given her many opportunities to grow her skill set.

Mallory Cepress, Wood County

For over a decade, Wisconsin 4-H has played a significant role in shaping who Mallory is as a leader, mentor, and advocate for agriculture. As a member of the Richfield 4-H Club since 2013, she has participated in numerous project areas, with a primary focus on swine production, shooting sports, and leadership development. Through 4-H, Mallory has served in multiple club officer positions, including President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Historian, while also taking on county-level leadership roles and mentoring younger members. Her involvement has led to opportunities such as earning the Wisconsin 4-H Key Award, representing Team Wisconsin at the National 4-H Shooting Sports Championships, and serving as a youth representative for the Central Wisconsin State Fair. Beyond her achievements, 4-H has inspired Mallory to give back through community service and youth mentorship. These experiences have strengthened her leadership, responsibility, and commitment to agriculture, making this scholarship especially meaningful as she continues to pursue a degree in Animal Science and a career in the livestock industry.

Lucy Zeug, Grant County

Throughout 4-H, Lucy has had the opportunity to do many things. She is an active member in her county, with leadership positions on her club, their Older Youth Council, and the Horse Project. Lucy works and shows for a dairy goat farm. She also enjoys photography and graphic art, and has won awards through her art. At the state level, she has attended National Congress, Fall Forum, Summer Academy, and is one of the first State 4-H Agriculture Ambassadors. Mallory has received many awards through her county, including the Farm Bureau award, Leadership award, and achievement awards. Besides her leadership, Mallory also commits most of her time to community service in her county.

Juniper Rydberg, Portage County

Juniper’s involvement in Wisconsin 4-H has been a major part of her life from elementary school through college, shaping both who she is and the direction she wants her future to take. Juniper began as a youth member in elementary school, participating in hands-on projects, clubs, and community events that helped her build confidence, responsibility, and leadership skills. As she grew in 4-H, she took on more leadership roles, which allowed her to mentor younger members and develop a strong sense of service and teamwork.

Through these experiences, Juniper discovered her passion, her spark in Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS). 4-H helped Juniper realize how much she enjoys working with youth, teaching practical life skills, and creating engaging, hands-on learning experiences. This passion has directly influenced her career goal of becoming a teacher, where she hopes to continue inspiring and supporting students in their growth.

Now, as a Wisconsin 4-H AmeriCorps member, Juniper is able to give back by designing and leading educational programs for youth in her community. 4-H has not only shaped her leadership and communication skills, but also guided her purpose and future career path in education.

Abbey Acker, Waupaca County

Abbey was a member of Waupaca County 4-H for 13 years where she participated in a wide variety of activities and projects that helped shape who she is today. Being a camp counselor, teaching art workshops at county events, being a club officer, and showing as many art projects as she could at the county fair are just a few of Abbey’s highlights over the years. These experiences taught her that she loves art and working with youth.

This scholarship helps Abbey as she starts her third year at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay studying art education. If not for Abbey’s early start and commitment to trying new things in 4-H, she would have never discovered her love and passion for the arts and helping people. She knows that both of these will help her in the future as an educator.

Courtney Schenk, Shawano County

As the recipient of the Gwen Wilson Memorial Scholarship, Courtney was an active 4-H member in Shawano County for almost a decade and was a meaningful contributor to her club. Courtney was involved in a total of seven projects, most notably Cake Decorating and Foods and Nutrition, which she did in all nine years of membership. She also participated in the Favorite Foods Review for five years and 4-H Experience for three, which built her confidence in public speaking and trying new things. Being in 4-H helped Courtney gain leadership skills, particularly in her four years as a club officer. She also gained skills in her two years as club Treasurer and one year as Vice President, which she still uses today. The values of leadership, perseverance, and excellence are ones instilled in Courtney through 4-H and are at the center of the Gwen Wilson Memorial Foundation. She is incredibly grateful for this honor.