If anyone ever wanted to put a face with 4-H, they might not have to look any further than Aaron Waltman. During his 11-year career in 4-H, Aaron Waltman, 19, has grown from a chubby, shy 8 year old into a strapping young man with a confident, winning smile. Over that span, he has had so many experiences in 4-H that he can in no way, shape or form hope to ever recall all of them.

But what he can recall is that throughout each experience, he has seen it as an opportunity to help himself mature, learn and grow as an individual.

And perhaps his crowning achievement in 4-H was, well, a crowning achievement, that of being named the Holmes County Fair King for the 2010-2011 year.

“It seemed like everything that I did, everything that I participated in over the years, was leading toward that moment,” said Waltman. “You start out and you really don’t know what you’re doing. You take a project, and work on it, and wonder if you’ll ever get it done. Then you start taking on more projects as you get more experience. Then you go to your first year of 4-H State Camp, and you really start getting excited about all of the possibilities.”

That is the path Waltman took, and it eventually led to a spot on the Holmes County Junior Fair board, as well as becoming a camp counselor at the annual 4-H State Camp.

And having done projects from cooking and sewing to woodworking, Waltman has come to the understanding that, all fair projects completed and all of the animal projects aside, for him, 4-H has been more about the maturing process than anything else.

“I think 4-H has become a big part of who I am today,” said Waltman. “It has helped me develop my leadership skills, and it was an important community thing for me that helped me develop some really good friendships.”

In his first year at Ohio State, Waltman found that even there, 4-H created a bridge to opening up new friendships, noting that once he would find out someone he had met was in 4-H, it opened up a floodgate of communication avenues through which they could discuss their many memories and experiences.

While many 4-H’ers oftentimes stay within the confines of their comfort zone when it comes to choosing projects to work on for the State Fair, Waltman went the other direction, diving into projects which he knew nothing about.

“I think that in my 11 years of 4-H, I hit most of the areas, including a cooking project last year and a sewing project about four years ago,” said Waltman. “I did first aid and fishing. I did remote control cars and woodworking.

“When I did my cooking project I thought it was mostly for girls, but I wanted to take it so I could say that I had pretty much covered all of the areas. But I soon found that it actually came in quite handy. It was fun. I purposely tried to diversify as much as possible.”

Now, as he heads back to school at Ohio State University, Waltman continues to prepare for life in adulthood much the same way he has approached life as a youth through 4-H. His experiences growing up in 4-H could well have an impact on the fortunes of his future.

“After everything I have accomplished in 4-H over the past 11 years, I feel good about what it has done for me,” said Waltman. “Maybe it will help me on a job application. I think with what 4-H stands for, and how it helps young people gain leadership and self-esteem, it can’t hurt. With all of the awards I have won over the years, and everything I have done here, it will show employers I have dedication and desire to work hard to accomplish my goals.”

Waltman got into 4-H when he followed in his sister Elle’s footsteps. A third-grader then, he was very new to the idea, and scared to death when it came to being judged for his projects.

That began to change over the years as Waltman gained self-esteem and confidence, much of that due to his time in 4-H.

“That fear goes right away when you get enough experience,” said Waltman. “Now I don’t mind getting up in front of people.”

Waltman said that out of all of the projects he has completed, his sewing project four years ago ranks among his favorite.

“Again, that was something that was kind of against the norm for guys to take,” said Waltman. “The project was something like Creative Arts, and I made this comforter which was pretty good sized. Well, I won the county and I went to State and got the Purple Ribbon in my first trip to State. That was a big deal because only eight people win that award, and I was one of them. That meant a lot to me. Heck, my sister had been to State I don’t know how many times, and she never won one. I was one-for-one, so I can lord that over her,” he added with a laugh.

Waltman joked that with all of his experience in 4-H, if nothing else ,when he gets married someday, he will make his wife incredibly happy with his ability to cook and sew, as well as build some furniture for the deck.

But all jokes aside, Waltman could well serve as a poster boy for what 4-H is truly meant to be. It has helped to build and mold a young boy into a man, who not only has displayed a very diversified set of gifts and abilities, but who has grown in his leadership skills and is now more confident because of his experiences in the program.

“I wouldn’t trade my experience here for anything,” said Waltman. “It is such a big part of who I am now, and hopefully the values and things I have learned will be a big part of who I will become in the future.”