4-H Impact Story: Clay Sabrowski

Building lifelong leadership skills through Colorado 4-H

Part of Colorado 4-H Youth Development in Gunnison County, Clay Sabrowski has been involved in many aspects of 4-H, starting off with Clover Buds. He has served as club treasurer, club and council president, and on many committees throughout his time in the program.

Sabrowski also attended Youth Fest, CLC, LDC and the district 10 retreat where his leadership skills were honed over the years.

One of his earlier projects was electricity, where he made a model circuit that demonstrated how a lightbulb worked, moving on to win at state fair as an intermediate. This was one of the major turning points where he wanted to pursue electricity, eventually attending and graduating with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.

Along with his bachelor’s degree, Sabrowski also completed a master’s degree in engineering management.

“4-H has had a lasting impact on my life in many areas, with one of the most profound being my leadership and public speaking skills,” he said.

“This past spring I had an opportunity to teach around fifty electrical contractors how to safely tow/haul equipment. This was brought to my attention the night before the presentation, and I was able to create a well-rounded presentation for the next day. I was not worried or nervous as I spoke to the crowd, as public speaking was nothing new to me. When I was done, I received many compliments from the audience on how well rehearsed and presented it was. I immediately called my mom to tell her that 4-H paid off, as I was able to make a presentation and present to a large crowd with little time to prepare,” he said.

“There are numerous other stories of how 4-H impacted my life, and I will be forever grateful for the program and its people.”