(10/02/26) BATON ROUGE, La. — As a young girl, Alexis Bearden struggled fitting in. She had a large scar on her back from being born with spina bifida, and she was bullied for much of her early childhood. As she struggled to make friends, her mom, a former 4-H’er herself, decided to put Alexis into the Clover Buds program to see if this would help her socialize.

Bearden’s older brother was also a 4-H'er, and when he was old enough, he began to participate in the 4-H shooting sports programs. Inspired by her brother, she wanted to join in. She participated in both hunting skills and archery, eventually becoming a state shooting sports ambassador.

In these leadership positions she made sure she reached out to the younger 4-H'ers who were shy and hesitant to participate to give them a role model to aspire to.

“When I started getting into high school and I saw kids that were going through the same thing I did when I was in the fourth grade, that's what drove that spark for me to want to give that safe space back,” Bearden said. “So, I started being their friend and getting them to talk to other people and just give them somebody to look up to, somebody to inspire to be.”

Bearden didn’t stop there and used her passion to elevate herself to a national shooting sports ambassador and later a crew member to help run the hunting skills competition at nationals. She says these experiences were very significant in her development as a person.

“The 4-H shooting sports programs, where I started, it gave me a home away from home to become my own person,” Bearden said.

After high school, Bearden attended Louisiana Tech where she received an animal science degree in 2025 with help from a 4-H scholarship.

Bearden is now an assistant 4-H agent in Caddo Parish and a state shooting sports advisor for the ambassadors.

As National 4-H Week is celebrated Oct. 4-10, Bearden’s experience serves as an example of how 4-H can help young people build confidence and discover opportunities that shape their futures.

She hopes to use her role as an agent to motivate and encourage young and shy 4-H'ers to open up and grow.

“I didn't realize how much 4-H had helped me get out of my shell and be better at speaking to people and learning how to do a project book and work on a resume and really just be more of a people person,” Bearden said. “I just want to open those doors for kids who think that they don't have any doors to be open.”

Alexis Bearden, now an assistant 4-H agent in Caddo Parish, used her opportunities in 4-H to come out of her shell and grow as a person. Photo provided by Alexis Bearden.