Posted: April 8, 2022
Susan Swope is the 2021 Pennsylvania 4-H Volunteer of the Year. She has also been named 4-H Northeast Volunteer of the Year.
Swope has been a Clearfield County volunteer since 2015. Over the years, she has had a tremendous effect on the Clearfield County 4-H program. She serves as both a club organizational leader and as a member of the county 4-H Program Development Committee.
Through her service on the Program Development Committee, Swope understands the breadth and depth of the 4-H program. She prioritizes connecting with people to promote the program and expresses the needs of volunteers. Over the last two years, her efforts within the committee have brought more than 20 new families and four volunteers into the county program.
In addition to her committee work, Swope leads a club with more than 40 members. She encourages her members to learn and work together and has created a welcoming environment for all youth and their family members by incorporating them in the planning and delivery of activities. Swope challenges youth to increase their knowledge through relevant hands-on activities, such as livestock skillathons, identifying and classifying feed ingredients, butter making, how to write thank you notes, identifying meat cuts, and biosecurity practices.
Swope specifically recognizes and promotes social skills, record-keeping skills and educating the public about agriculture among her club members. Above all, she devotes her time to encouraging youth to become good citizens who know how to “Make the Best Better” in cooperation with their fellow 4-H’ers.
As a club leader, Swope is committed to improving her skills and learning new things to provide a positive experience for youth in her community. She regularly attends leader training and the professional development opportunities that 4-H offers.
Hannah Alexander, 4-H youth development educator in Clearfield County, noted, “I have witnessed Susan improve and expand the quality of learning through different programs within and outside the club environment. She strives to provide youth with intentional learning experiences that transfer to real-world skills. With this expanding club, she has increased her confidence as a leader.”
Swope also goes above and beyond her work as a club leader by taking additional time to complete surveys, assess curriculum or programs, and provide meaningful impact statements for the county and state. “She is a trusted and valuable resource that other volunteers and I go to for constructive feedback and guidance,” Alexander added.
Before becoming a 4-H volunteer, Swope was a 4-H member in Tioga County for 10 years. She held numerous leadership and officer positions in her club during her time as a member. She currently works as an adjunct chemistry instructor at Penn State DuBois, where she teaches the organic chemistry series and second-semester general chemistry.
