Natalie Sayles, a recent graduate of Austin High School and 4-H alum from Mower County, received the 2015 Ada and Helmuth Schroeder Scholarship from the Minnesota 4-H Foundation.

Natalie has been an active member of Mower County 4-H for 10 years. She held the office of historian of her local Enterprise 4-H club from 2008-2011, and has been president since 2011. She has also been a district representative and secretary of her county’s Advisory Board since 2012.

As part of the Advisory Board, she assisted in painting the 4-H building in preparation for her county fair, and was also on a special hiring committee in charge of hiring the new 4-H program coordinator for Mower County.

Outside of her leadership positions with 4-H, Natalie is also very involved in her community. She was a part of several community service projects through her 4-H club, including packaging Salvation Army Thanksgiving food baskets, and helping out with the Freeborn-Mower Electrical Cooperative’s annual banquet.

She has also helped facilitate clean-up projects in her county, including helping to clean the Rose Creek-Enterprise cemetery. In addition to the Ada and Helmuth Schroeder Scholarship, Natalie has also been the recipient of several notable 4-H awards at both the county and state level including the 4-H Purple Ribbon, the 4-H Grand and Reserve Champion Exhibits, and the 4-H Officer Award. She has also received multiple acknowledgments at the county and state level for her work outside of 4-H in dance, orchestra, and academics.

Natalie has just begun her freshman year at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, and is pursuing a major in mechanical engineering. She hopes to inspire children to learn about science at a young age.