Former Texas 4-H member uses skills to excel in college

Zane Wanjura, Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences animal science major and biomedical sciences and psychology minor, has used the skills and connections he made as a Texas 4-H member, council chairman and livestock ambassador to create a network and support system to help him in college.

While he is a student in the Department of Animal Science, Wanjura’s goal is to study medicine and become a Neurosurgeon. He found that the animal science department blended best with his passion and the skills he developed through Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service’s 4-H program, and still allowed him to prepare for medical school.

What made you want to be a Texas 4-H member?

Being the eldest in my family, when I came of age to participate in 4-H programs, my mom decided I should join the horse club since that was the club she was involved in when she was a 4-H member. It was the right way to start. I grew up rodeoing, showing goats when I was 8 and eventually showing steers and commercial heifers. Everyone thinks 4-H is only meant for showing livestock, but it’s much more. When I was older, I was introduced to public speaking contests. It quickly became my passion, and I started doing public speaking contests more than showing livestock at the major stock shows.

What was your greatest accomplishment while doing the speaking contests?

I competed in the public speaking contest at the district and state level, as well as at major livestock shows in San Antonio, Houston, San Angelo, State Fair of Texas and the Heart of Texas. While competing in the junior division, I won grand and reserve champion for animal science at the State Fair of Texas. Competing in the senior division, I won the senior division at San Angelo, was reserve champion at the State Fair of Texas and made finals for multiple years. My highest placing at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo was seventh, and I placed in the top four for multiple years at the San Antonio Livestock Show.

What made you want to serve on the Texas 4-H Council?

Coming from a smaller county, most members don’t compete beyond the county level. When I got involved with public speaking, that brought me to College Station to compete at 4-H Roundup. I got to participate in the nightly assemblies, and when I saw the council members in the green jackets, I said, “That’s what I want to do.” I ran for district council once I was old enough to understand getting on the council. I served as the District 11 second vice chairman my first year and the chairman my second year. Serving in those positions, I earned a spot on the State 4-H Council for 2019-2020, unfortunately the COVID year. Our team didn’t get to host the Texas 4-H Roundup or Texas 4-H Congress, but it was still a fantastic experience.

How was your time spent serving as a Texas 4-H Livestock Ambassador?

My first county agent, Kara Matheney, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agriculture and natural resources agent for Washington County, told me about the Texas 4-H Livestock Ambassador program and that I should apply. I went through the preliminary track, the short course, to learn everything. I was accepted to attend the course at Texas A&M, but I had an FFA event the same day, so I attended the course at Texas Tech University. I enjoyed it because it was a new town and on campus. We were able to tour multiple feed yards and processing plants. My second year, I attended the advocacy academy in Austin for three to four days where we got to visit with the legislature and learn about the policy process affecting agriculture. My third year, I took a domestic trip with the other ambassadors and spent 10 days along the west coast in Oregon and California. We spoke to different producers and toured numerous ranches to learn about their agriculture. My senior year, we were supposed to go on a trip to Australia, but it was canceled due to COVID.

Would you say 4-H prepared you for joining organizations in college?

Being involved in 4-H and everything I was interested in during high school, I always kept busy, which transitioned over whenever I got to college. Most students take 12 hours a semester, but I have always taken 15-plus hours. I’ve gotten involved with numerous campus organizations. Competing in 4-H public speaking events gave me the confidence as a freshman to stand in front of my peers and run for officer positions. In the Department of Animal Science, many of my peers were in 4-H with me, so it wasn’t like I was jumping into the unknown.

What do you plan on doing after college?

I’ve always wanted to help people in another capacity. I toured Texas A&M in November 2019 and met with an advisor in the animal science department. I asked if studying animal science was meant for me since I wanted to study medicine. She explained that I could get all my prerequisites in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and that all my friends were in this department. I decided to take this route because I could be involved with both sides of my passion. I was getting the education I needed for medical school and spending my days around my friends in the animal science department.

What advice would you give to a young 4-H member or a college student?

Get involved and take advantage of every opportunity because you never know what door will open or what adventure it will take you on. Be willing to step outside of your comfort zone and try something new. You never know what you’ll like or not like without putting yourself out there and trying.