Teen leaders from across Wisconsin recently joined hundreds of their peers from around the country for the 2026 Ignite by 4-H Summit, a national youth leadership experience focused on career exploration, skill-building and connection.
“I really enjoyed getting to represent Shawano County at Ignite, alongside the other 52 states, regions, and territories, exploring track and non-track related workshops to improve myself as a leader and learn ways to get more youth involved during meeting and other events that happen within 4-H,” said Shawano County’s Jenna Posbrig.
Hosted by the National 4-H Council, the four-day summit brought together high school-aged youth to explore hands-on sessions, workshops and networking opportunities with the goal of gaining practical skills and insight into future careers.
Wisconsin delegates engaged in immersive tracks designed to strengthen leadership, communication and problem-solving abilities while connecting with industry professionals and peers from across the country. The experience emphasized real-world application, helping youths build confidence and clarity about their post-high school goals.
Programming areas included agriscience, animal science, community accelerators, citizenship, healthy living and STEM.
Posbrig was selected as one of seven animal science ambassadors from Wisconsin.
“During the animal science track off-site experience, we got the opportunity to tour one of the many University of Maryland’s research farms,” she said. “We got to see how they collect data using cow specific doors for feeding; each cow has a certain ID that corresponds with a door and she is only able to eat out of that one specific door that’s assigned to her. If she tries to eat out of another slot, the door will not unlock since that’s not hers.
Posbrig is a senior at Pulaski High School and a member of the Tiger Tribe 4-H Club.
“Being able to spend a few hours looking at the monuments at night was also really fun,” she said. “The lights made it more enjoyable to see. During the time we were there, the cherry blossoms were in full bloom, and they were very beautiful and smelled amazing.”
The Shawano County 4-H Livestock Group and the Shawano County 4-H Leaders Inc. helped fund this 4-H opportunity.
“This trip truly was a game changer,” Posbrig said. “It allowed me to explore things that I never would have thought I would like to dig deeper about, and it gave me a new perspective on many aspects of being a leader. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone that is wanted to get out there and learn more about involving youth, growing as a leader and branching out to meet new people.”
