Karson, a CCA junior, also is a member of the Cumberland County 4-H Alpaca Club.
For six years, Karson and his family have been involved with the PA Farm Show through the Cumberland County 4-H Alpaca Club. The organization focuses on positive youth development and mentoring, and it welcomes young people of all beliefs and backgrounds, empowering them to create positive change in their communities. It selects the top kids to participate in the Farm Show based on end-of-year performance.
For each Farm Show, Karson, a CCA junior, showcases his alpacas in obstacle courses, showmanship activities and a costume contest at the end. Karson’s mother, Suzanna, also volunteers with the club and helps Karson when he needs it.
During this year’s Farm Show, Karson competed early Tuesday morning in the Equine Arena and the event lasted throughout the day.
Although Karson was busy and away from home, he was still able to participate in his education.
Thanks to CCA’s flexible schedule, he can take a full day off of school to focus on the event, but he can easily get caught up on school work around that time.
“The flexible schedule is awesome for a lot of reasons,” Suzanna said. “It gives him flexibility during the day. If he needs to go to the farm and practice or do anything there, he has the freedom to do that.”
Karson is familiar with the benefits of CCA because he has been enrolled in the school since second grade. His family has always valued and appreciated the flexibility.
Along with learning to manage a busy schedule, Karson is learning about his interests through the freedom of choosing what he wants to do. By working with his alpacas, he is discovering passions that could lead to a future career.
Whether Karson pursues a career in agriculture or not, CCA and the Farm Show have been an important part of his life.
Not only have they provided him with many useful lessons and experiences, but they have given him a hobby that he enjoys every day.
