PRYDE Scholars take on the New York State Fair
Adara Homer, PRYDE Scholar ‘28
Photography by Marilu Lopez-Fretts
To start off the semester, it is a tradition for the PRYDE Scholars to take a trip to the New York State Fair along with the PRYDE staff. As a junior PRYDE Scholar, this event was my first time representing Cornell Human Ecology as a PRYDE Scholar.
We woke up bright and early that morning and headed over to Syracuse in different groups, eventually meeting up at the State Fair. When everyone met up, we felt like a family attending the fair. Human Ecology has a way of bringing people together, even if you’ve only met them once. We’re a small community, and programs like PRYDE are a great way to feel even more connected to those around you and to the greater New York State community that 4-H serves.
After a few photo ops, we made our way to the 4-H Youth Building. The building housed 4-H youth projects from students across New York State. In total, there were over 50 counties represented at the fair, with projects ranging from welding to homegrown plants. I’ve been to the fair before, but oftentimes, buildings like the 4-H Youth Building get overshadowed by the big Ferris wheels and extravagant selection of food items. Being able to take a moment to appreciate the projects on display felt like unlocking a new hidden gem of the fair!
As we were scanning through the projects, a 4-H practitioner came up to us and started explaining 4-H and the projects we saw before us. As we carefully passed around a few projects, one thing that caught my eye was the fancy ribbons attached to a select number of them. Some were blue, others were purple, and there were even a few rainbow ribbons, too. I asked about the ribbons and learned that the colors correlate to different levels of awards, with purple being the highest achievement, followed by blue, red, and white.
Along with learning about what the different colors meant, I learned about the judging criteria. This is what interested me the most: the projects are judged largely on how “market ready” their products are. One anecdote the practitioner shared was about a student who once presented the largest zucchini they had grown in their garden. The zucchini was impressive indeed, but it didn’t win the top prize because it was not suited for the everyday consumer.
I learned that products should not just look impressive but should also have a target audience in mind when they are made and presented. Large zucchinis have a different taste than regular-sized zucchinis, and people who want to cook a homemade meal might not gravitate toward them. This was interesting to me because I wouldn’t have expected a kids’ contest to be this nuanced in its assessment of projects.
Hearing that story helped me understand the importance of 4-H in youth development. These kids earn every award they win and develop life skills while building character in the process. 4-H is a very valuable program, and I am so glad I got to learn about it and see the work of the program in action through firsthand accounts.
The rest of the day was spent bonding with my peers and reflecting on our experiences. We made many memories and even won a giant Highland cow plushie at the fair games! I’m so thankful for this amazing experience, and I can’t wait to continue my work as a PRYDE Scholar!