Henrico teen earns top Virginia 4-H award

Nikhita Saravanan, a seven-year member of 4-H, was among four teens from Virginia honored at the recent Evening with 4-H ceremony and celebration. Saravanan and the three others earned Virginia 4‑H Youth in Action Program awards, which recognize four young leaders with diverse backgrounds and unique perspectives in 4-H core pillar areas: agriculture, civic engagement, healthy living, and STEM.

Saravanan earned the award for civic engagement. Her life has changed through her Virginia 4-H journey, she said, as she gained life skills such as leadership, confidence, and the ability to empathize with others.

“I have always strived to bring change in my community and help others through my skills,” Saravanan said. “4-H has been that very outlet to help both my inner growth and my community’s growth.”

The Virginia Teen Summit, Saravanan said, was one event in particular that helped strengthen her leadership skills and showed her how to inspire others and improve her community.

In 2020, Saravanan and her sister co-founded 4 Art 2 Heart, a nonprofit group, in an effort to combine their passion for art and helping others to fundraise for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

“Due to the pandemic, the annual MS walk was canceled, and this was a key event for gaining funds,” Saravanan said. “We began teaching free, online art classes for all ages across the country, and we also used the classes to bring awareness of multiple sclerosis, and we encouraged our participants to donate and help the cause.”

In 2022, they resumed their art classes, but now with a new purpose.

“We realized that we needed to spread awareness about stress and directly help communities. After developing the idea for almost two years, we received the Projects for Peace grant of $10,000, and we used it to create art nooks across Virginia,” Saravanan said.

These art nooks have been installed in three areas across Virginia and they hold several art supplies including sketchbook paper, pencils, markers, crayons, colored pencils, and stencils, free for public usage.

“We wanted to create a permanent method of stress relief and simultaneously allow others to explore and express themselves without any socio-economic barriers,” Saravanan said. “My sister and I organized these art classes and the implementation and process of the Art Nooks. We also partnered with and received immense support from Henrico 4-H, VCE [Virginia Cooperative Extension], and the Department of Henrico County Department of Recreation and Parks.”

During the coming year, Saravanan plans to advocate for civic engagement through 4 Art 2 Heart and by hosting events centered around the art nooks for the public.

Each of the four winners received a $500 mini-grant to develop a significant community project, recognition at a formal award ceremony, a full scholarship to attend the Virginia State 4-H Congress in Blacksburg, an opportunity to be featured as the Virginia 4-H youth pillar spokesperson, and support and mentorship to apply for the 2022 National 4-H Youth Leadership Awards.

“Each of these youth has done tremendous things for their communities and for 4-H,” said Jeremy Johnson, Virginia’s state 4-H leader. “These awards are a way for us to recognize how they have gone above and beyond in their actions. Each of these outstanding youth showcases the best of Virginia 4-H and what 4-H can do to help the next generation of leaders reach their potential.”