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by Suzi Taylor
From the 1997-98 4-H Clover Project Selection Guide
Click on the image to see a full-sized photo
He speaks fluidly, energetically, excitedly. He describes past experiences, present goals and future plans with both the enthusiasm of a child and the poise of a diplomat.
He is Jim McCray, and this former 4-H'er and Montana State University student body president has molded a talent and an interest into a very bright future indeed.
Jim, who was raised on a cattle ranch near Geyser, entered 4-H at age 9. He tackled projects in leathercraft, metalwork and cooking, but found his true niche in the speaking and leadership projects.
His first speech was on how to wash a pig... now Jim finds himself speaking to governors, legislators, fellow students and dignitaries from all over the world about policies, problems and solutions. As this past year's MSU student body president he oversaw a $1.5 million budget and 300 employees, and Jim met regularly with Montana Governor Marc Racicot.
In 4-H, Jim won Congress awards, held state leadership positions and traveled around the state speak ing about leadership and motivation. He attended both National 4-H Congress and the Western Roundup as a public speaking winner. While at MSU, he rose from an officer in his fraternity to a member of Septem Viri -- the top seven students at the university. He will enter Vanderbilt Law School this fall, and hopes to return to Montana someday.
Jim credits 4-H with giving him the opportunities and focus to develop his skills as a speaker and leader. His advice to current 4-H'ers? Get involved and zero in on the activities you love.
"Through involvement, you'll find what you truly love. Put your full heart and effort into it, and you'll be successful at whatever you love to do," Jim says. But he also warns not to worry about setbacks: "Realize that in order to be successful there are a lot of shortcomings in the process. I've experienced many setbacks just to achieve what I have."
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