BY KRIS BLANKMAN

Ellie Jensen

Delightful is the word that comes to mind when introducing you to Ellie Jensen. She will be a ninth-grader at Wahlquist Jr. High this fall and will be starting school as the Student Body President. Ellie is 14 and loves to play soccer, go camping and hiking, train her dog Zoe who is a blue heeler/border collie mix, and spend time with her other animals. Ellie is a dancer and has taught dance since she was 10 years old! This talented young lady is a member of the Rustic Farms and Better Bacon Bureau 4H groups where she shows lambs and goats, and this will be her sixth year participating.

Ellie finds it extremely rewarding to show these animals at the Weber County Fair after spending the summer working with them. Ellie says that 4H has taught her that learning never ends and there is always something new to learn. She says, “It has taught me that there is more in the world than what we know.” Working through struggles with an animal or having it not do as well as she hoped has taught her perseverance. The 4H program has shown Ellie that hard work and effort pay off with satisfaction and pride in a job well done. She won the Reserve Jr. Showmanship in 2018 and placed 1st in her lamb class in 2021. Ellie has placed in the top four in showmanship for several years. While still young, she has aspirations in the veterinary medicine field and loves design.

Fernando Vega

I am excited to introduce you to a charming and talented young man, Fernando Vega. Fernando will be a seventh-grader at Wahlquist Jr High this fall. He is the oldest of three children, and his mom says that he is a great big brother. He loves to work on the farm and cook! 4H is a big part of Fernando’s life, and this will be his fourth year showing at the Weber County fair in the 4H program. He started his career with a hog, but, now that he has shown steers, there is no going back! His biggest achievement to date is winning first place in market. This year, he is working twice as hard showing a steer, Valiente, an angus cross. He will also show a heifer. This creates twice the time and effort he puts into his projects. Fernando says that 4H has taught him responsibility and hard work. He loves to make new friends and see old ones at the fair. I hear he enjoys helping others, and I have no doubt he makes a positive contribution to his family and to the up-and-coming generation agricultural family. He enjoys reading and math in school and could pass on science if given the option. He tells me he makes a mean buffalo chicken wing and has a passion for cooking. He has goals of becoming a chef one day and would love to continue in the Ag world, either with his own farm or working on a farm.