“Be true to yourself.” Murray Dickie, a 17 year old recent homeschool graduate and member of Orange 4-H has lived by this small piece of advice and shows it through all of his accomplishments.
4-H can lead to many amazing opportunities, and Murray found his calling through livestock. Being a part of the local livestock club and showing cattle were some of the activities he liked to participate in. He mainly raised and showed steers during high school, but also did some competitions as well. He was a part of the stockmen’s and cattle working team, which gave him both knowledge and skill with livestock. Not only could he identify breeds, feeds, and equipment, but he could apply his knowledge through hands-on teamwork during a cattle working contest. Murray also found enjoyment through the tractor driving contest, and was 3rd overall in the state in 2019!
Through 4-H, he was able to find friends and better himself as a leader. He was the Treasurer for the Livestock Club for the 2019-2020 term, and learned the importance of money for himself and a larger group. It also taught him that time management is not something to overlook, and can be a valuable skill for him in the future. Balancing school, extracurriculars, and friends can be made easy with time management. He became friends with many people in the club, but one of his favorite memories is spending time with them at the county fair.
As he plans for his future, Murray will attend Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business and major in Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Technology.
“Work hard to achieve your goals, don’t give up even when frustrated, and always remember to show respect and gratitude to the people who help you along the way,” says Murray to young 4-H’ers. Thank you for being a great role model and setting an example, Murray. Good luck at Tech!
By Evan Lineweaver, Summer Intern
