Submitted photo West Virginia teen Kade Suddath will serve on the 2026 National 4-H Congress Design Team.

Kade Suddath, a 4-H’er from Hampshire County, will serve on the 2026 National 4-H Congress Design Team, making him only the third representative from West Virginia to be selected for this committee in the last 20 years.

For the second year in a row, a West Virginia University Extension 4-H member has earned a spot on the esteemed National 4-H Congress design team, a rare honor that only eight 4-H’ers across the country receive each year.  

The design team is a prestigious small group of exceptional 4-H members who are responsible for planning and leading National 4-H Congress — a five-day conference that brings together young leaders for workshops, networking and personal growth. 

“I went to 4-H Congress last year and it was amazing. It’s my favorite 4-H event I’ve ever been to,” Suddath said. “The conference focuses on leadership and service, so we got to do a community service project in Atlanta, attend workshops, and make connections from across the country. We really focused on how to be better leaders and take that back to our home states.”

Students can only attend National 4-H Congress once, unless they are part of the design team the following year. Suddath knew immediately that this was an opportunity he needed to take.

“As soon as I left, I knew I wanted to go back. I’m the type of person who learns about an opportunity that I’m interested in, and I take it as an assignment. So, I worked really hard on putting together the best application I could,” Suddath said.

The application process is quite the undertaking. Applicants must write an introduction letter about themselves, include a two-page resume of their 4-H background, a one-page statement on their leadership philosophy, two letters of recommendation, and make a creative video introducing themselves to the committee.

But to Kelly Hicks, WVU Extension 4-H agent in Hampshire County, it was no surprise that Suddath put together a great application and was selected for the committee.

“I am so proud of Kade, but it doesn’t surprise me at all that he was selected because he is just so focused, so positive, and so engaging with everyone he interacts with. You just can’t help but to like him,” Hicks said.

Another reason Suddath was selected for this honor was his extensive extracurricular resume. Within 4-H, he is a member of the Augusta Trailblazers club, a Teen Leader, and attends many local 4-H events and camps each year. Beyond that, he is also an officer in his FFA Chapter, a part of the National Honor Society, the National Technical Honor Society, Link Crew, student council, ASL Club, and even plays the fiddle in his family’s bluegrass band.

While National 4-H Congress doesn’t take place until November 2026, Suddath has already started the planning process. He traveled to Atlanta for the first Design Team meeting in February and will regularly meet with the team to finalize plans for the conference.

As part of their duties, Suddath and the rest of the design team will arrive early to help set up, lead workshops, speak to large crowds, fill in wherever they’re needed and work to recruit next year’s design team members.  

“We work together to figure out what worked and what didn’t at Congress last year. We really want to make the whole experience even better for the next delegation and make sure to keep evolving to fit the needs of the conference,” Suddath said. “I already love getting to work with this team. We’ve basically become best friends already, and I’m really excited for that week of Congress when we can see our work come together in real life and have a great week with everyone.”

This is a rare opportunity, but Suddath is perfect for the job. As Hicks says, he is always eager to make the best better and live life by the 4-H values.

“Kade is very well-rounded, and he is looking for the next activity that he can be engaged in, learn from and help out with, and I know he’s going to do a great job on the design team,” Hicks said. “He embodies the four H’s: head, heart, hands and health, and living a life of four-fold development.”

If other West Virginia youth are interested in applying for National 4-H Congress, visit the West Virginia 4-H website to learn more and apply. 

To learn more about 4-H activities in your community and keep up with the latest in West Virginia 4-H news, follow @WestVirginia4H on Facebook and @wv_4h on Instagram.  

If you want to learn more about WVU Extension, visit extension.wvu.edu or follow @WVUExtension on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram.