The National 4-H Council held the 12th Legacy Awards Gala at the Ritz-Carlton in Washington, DC on Sept. 14 to honor the 4-H Youth in Action Award winners, including Brianna Attey Mouanjo from Broome County. The event highlighted the impact 4-H makes in the lives of alumni and youth, and presented Youth in Action Awards, the highest honor for a 4-H’er, in 4-H’s four Pillar or program areas: agriculture, civic engagement, healthy living and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).
Brianna Attey Mouanjo with Asia Ambler, 4-H UNITY Endicott project coordinator with CCE Broome, at 4-H’s Legacy Award Gala in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 14, 2022.
Photo provided by National 4-H Council
Attey Mouanjo, a 4-H Urban Neighborhoods Improved Through Youth (UNITY) Teen Leader, received the 2022 Youth in Action Pillar Award for Civic Engagement which included a $5,000 scholarship for higher education and opportunities to serve as an advocate and spokesperson for 4-H civic cngagement programming. Attey Mouanjo is now a sophomore at George Washington University with a goal of becoming an adolescent psychologist.
“It was awesome—not only to be celebrated at the Gala for the work I have put in for the past couple of years, but it was especially memorable to celebrate with my advisor Miss Asia [Ambler] whose support, along with many others, has been crucial in providing me with what I’ve needed to be a better leader and advocate for my community,” said Attey Mouanjo. Thanks to support from New York State (NYS) 4-H, Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) Broome County was honored to have Ambler, 4-H UNITY Endicott project coordinator, attend the event.
Attey Mouanjo’s award marks the third Youth in Action Award winner from CCE Broome County, the only Extension office in the U.S. with three winners — Nosa Akol was overall Youth in Action Award winner in 2015 and Clyde Van Dyke was Youth in Action STEM Pillar Award winner in 2019.
Some of Attey Mouanjo’s many accomplishments as a 4-H’er, leading to her selection as a Youth in Action Award winner include:
- Spearheading 4-H programs in CCE Ulster, CCE Orange and CCE Suffolk Counties to create similar 4-H antiracism action groups for teens 14-18 years old.
- Serving as a panelist for the Children’s Well-Being, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, focused on the mental health supports students may need after the pandemic.
- Co-presenting with 4-H UNITY State Project Director June Mead and Kelly Mabee, 4-H UNITY assistant director for CCE Broome County, a workshop for the Children, Youth, and Families at Risk Program’s (CYFAR) Professional Development Event, “Connecting during the pandemic: Maintaining engagement and relationships (now and in the future).” Over 100 people participated in this virtual, national workshop.
- Leading a workshop on race and reconciliation for the Civic Engagement Program Work Team’s virtual conference.
- Conducting a powerful workshop, “Race and Reconciliation Conversations,” on race and identity for Cornell Cooperative Extension’s series on diversity, equity and inclusion for the Remaining Whole, Human and Hopeful Series. The workshop was widely praised by 4-H educators throughout New York state.
- Securing a grant from America’s Promise to support the establishment of the Diversity Café at Union-Endicott High School.
Attey Mouanjo was joined by the other 2022 4-H Youth in Action Award Pillar winners, Tashina Red Hawk of South Dakota (agriculture), Kristin Osika of New Jersey (healthy living) and Dhruv Rebba of Illinois (STEM). Because the pandemic made it impossible to meet in 2020 and 2021, this year’s Legacy Awards Gala also honored Youth in Action Award winners for 2020 and 2021.
Brianna Attey Mouanjo (second from left) stands with other 2022 4-H Youth in Action award winners at the 4-H Legacy Awards Gala in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 14, 2022. The other winners are: Kristin Osika of New Jersey (left), Tashina Red Hawk of South Dakota (second from right), and Dhruv Rebba of Illinois (right).
Photo provided by National 4-H Council
“The 4‑H Youth in Action Pillar Winners shone so brightly at the Legacy Awards Gala. I’m so proud of how they spoke on stage and interacted with our donors and trustees,” said Mary-Clayton Murphy, National 4-H Council marketing specialist. “I’ve heard raving reviews about how their words are being treasured. Everyone keeps highlighting the way the Gala attendees lingered at the end of the evening. We’ve never had people stay and talk and spend that much more additional time together! Such a testament to how inviting the heart of 4-H is and how strongly that was felt throughout the night.”
Attey Mouanjo also served as a youth spokesperson at the National Association of Extension 4-H Youth Development Professionals (NA4-HYDP) in Madison, Wisconsin on Oct. 13. NA4-HYDP is the professional organization for those dedicated to promoting and strengthening the 4-H youth development profession.
Attey Mouanjo spoke about how being part of 4-H UNITY impacted her life and how her 4-H leaders, Ambler and Mabee, became her mentors, challenged her, and supported her in growing and succeeding. You can see her talk at the conference here.
4-H UNITY is part of the CYFAR Program. The project is supported by Smith-Lever funds; National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC; New York State 4-H Youth Development; Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research and Cornell University.
