In last week’s article “Rio Blanco County 4-H Youth Fund announces scholarship winners” Madison Kindler’s mother Jewell was not named and the details that earned Kindler a $500 scholarship were not listed alongside the $1,500 scholarship winner’s.
Kindler is a 3.679 GPA student who plans to attend the University of Wyoming for a bachelor’s degree in exercise science or kinesiology with a master’s in athletic training. In her application, Kindler stated: “For the longest time as a little kid I dreamed about being a veterinarian. It wasn’t until my sophomore year of high school that I realized I wanted to be an athletic trainer instead. At state basketball, seeing the athletic trainer there working with hurt athletes opened my eyes about how much I might enjoy athletic training as a career instead of working with animals. Through this experience, I realized that I want to be a collegiate athletic trainer for a basketball or football team. Personally, I think this will make me happier in life because I will be able to stay involved in the sports I have loved every day of my life. By my late 20s I want to have my own house and be financially stable while also starting a family. At some point, I would also like to bring my athletic training skills and training back to Meeker so that I can give make to my community for all they did for me growing up.”
During nine years of 4-H enrollment Kindler has earned grand champion and junior grand champion awards in the 4-H horse program from 2001-2016. She earned reserve grand champion for market swine in 2013, and reserve grand champion for intermediate showman swine in 2015, was the winner of the 2016 Rio Blanco County supreme swine award and grand champion record book swine, was the 2018 outstanding senior member with the grand champion herdsman award, Rio Blanco County supreme swine award, reserve grand champion senior showman swine, and reserve grand champion market swine, as well as a number of second, third and fourth place finishes.
She was involved in the Meeker Ghost Riders 4-H Club, White River Swine 4-H Club, and It’s A Way of Life 4-H Club at all levels, including serving as president of each club for at least one year.
In addition to her 4-H activities, during high school Kindler was also involved in athletics (basketball, softball and track), FFA, FCA, was active in her church, and started her own small business (MJK Produce). In the community, she has picked up trash, cleaned upriver, repainted the county wash racks and volunteered at the Walbridge Wing.
While she’s proud of the recognition she received as grand champion, her biggest personal accomplishment was “overcoming the barrier of my barn burning down my sophomore year of high school.” One of Kindler’s pigs died in the fire. She named the surviving pig “Lucky” and said “her resilience and determination to live taught me a lot about the importance of persisting through difficult times.”
By HT STAFF
