BROOKINGS – The South Dakota 4-H Shooting Sports Committee awarded six scholarships to youth in the South Dakota 4-H Shooting Sports program.
Scholarship recipients are selected by a group of volunteers who review the applications, and recipients are selected based on scholastic achievement, character, 4-H Shooting Sports involvement and financial need.
Scholarships are funded through entrance fees paid at the state competition.
The 2022 South Dakota 4-H Shooting Sports scholarship recipients are:
Griffin Gates
Griffin Gates graduated from T.F. Riggs High School in Pierre and will be attending Dakota State University to pursue a degree in cybersecurity. In 2019, Gates served as the team captain for the 4-H Daisy Nationals team and helped his team take first place. Gates got his start in shooting sports by participating in archery, then continued to compete in BB gun, shotgun, muzzleloader and air rifle. Gates represented South Dakota at the 4-H Shooting Sports National Championships in the shotgun discipline in 2021.
Grace Jager
Grace Jager graduated from Bennett County High School and plans to attend the South Dakota School of Mines to pursue a degree in biology, with the hopes of pursuing a degree in dentistry. She has been a member of 4-H for 10 years and is in her fourth year of serving as a 4-H Teen Leader. Jager’s 4-H experiences have influenced her future career choice by giving her the opportunity to help those in her community. She represented South Dakota at the 4-H Shooting Sports National Championships in small-bore rifle in 2021 and in air pistol in 2022. She helped her rifle team place fourth in silhouettes and fifth overall.
Kaylee Bosma
Kaylee Bosma attended Lennox High School and plans to attend Gustavus Adolphus College to pursue a degree in English/pre-law. Bosma’s 4-H experiences have greatly influenced her career choice by helping her develop her skills through speaking and public presentations, writing and static exhibits and by researching hunting laws and regulations as a South Dakota 4-H Hunting Skills Team member. Bosma also teaches safety lessons to the younger members at her local shooting sports practices.
Dilyn Brooks
Dilyn Brooks attended Woonsocket High School and plans to pursue a degree in livestock production and management at Lake Area Technical College. She has been a member of South Dakota 4-H Shooting Sports for 10 years. Brooks attended the 4-H Shooting Sports National Championships for air rifle in 2021 and placed fifth as an individual. She was also part of the third-place three-position small-bore rifle team at the 2022 National Championships.
Jayden Carrier
Jayden Carrier graduated from Hill City High School and plans to pursue a degree in forensic science and a paralegal certificate at Casper Community College. In the future, she hopes to be a ballistics specialist to help rural law enforcement agencies, a decision influenced by her experiences with 4-H Shooting Sports. Carrier has competed in shooting sports for five years, helped with several community service projects with her club and participated in the beef project by showing her Gelbvieh bulls and heifers.
Reese McKenna
Reese McKenna attended Belle Fourche High School and plans to attend South Dakota State University to pursue a degree in animal science with a focus in pre-veterinary medicine. McKenna hopes to become a large animal veterinarian and specialize in equine or surgery. She has competed in archery, BB gun, air rifle, .22 CMP, .22 c-position and .22 pistol. Her experiences in shooting sports have allowed her to be more knowledgeable in her shot placement, become more confident in the shots she takes and to be more aware when hunting.
Scholarship applications are due to the state 4-H office by April 1 of each year. Application instructions for the upcoming 4-H scholarships can be found on the SDSU Extension website.
For more information about 4-H Shooting Sports scholarships, contact Rachel Chamblin, 4-H program assistant, at 605-688-4167 or Rachel.Chamblin@sdstate.edu.
