Thad Hughes (far right) was named the 2016 National 4-H Council Youth in Action award winner in the area of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math at a ceremony held April 12 in Washington D.C. (Photo courtesy of University of Illinois Extension)

McLean County 4-H member Thad Hughes is the 2016 Youth in Action award winner in the area of science, technology, engineering and math.

He was selected from more than 250 applicants nationwide. The award is sponsored by National 4-H Council through a gift provided by HughesNet.

“Out of the hundreds of submissions we received this year, Thad’s stood out from the crowd not only for his incredible talents in robotics and engineering, but for his dedication to sharing his passion and skills to make a positive impact in his community,” said Jennifer Sirangelo, president & CEO of National 4-H Council.

For his work, Hughes received a $5,000 scholarship for higher education. An additional $5,000 for STEM programming was also awarded to McLean County Extension. The award was presented April 12 at an awards event in Washington, D.C.

Hughes will serve as a spokesperson for 4-H, educating youth and adults about the impact of 4-H STEM programming, discussing his personal story and inspiring youth to pursue education and careers in STEM fields.

“4-H’ers like Thad show just how much positive impact 4-H youth leaders can have on their communities and the world around them,” Sirangelo added.

Through talks, demonstrations, workshops and interviews, Hughes, 19, has engaged more than 6,000 youth in the wonders of science.  He has been a mentor for FIRST Lego League and the Illinois State Robotics Competition for four years.

Hughes has also served as a mentor for four years and developed an afterschool program for the McLean County Extension program called Spinning Robots, in which he taught 50 middle schoolers basic circuitry and how to build simple robots.

Hughes is the son of Matthew Hughes and Connie Schneider and is currently studying engineering at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, one of the nation’s top ranked undergraduate schools in engineering.

Hughes said he works to turn an idea into reality. “It’s satisfying to know I built something,” he said. “I didn’t just come up with an idea; I made it a reality.”

4-H has helped him improved his technical skills, as well as his people skills, Hughes said. The award celebrates 4-H members who have overcome challenges and used the knowledge they gained in 4-H to create a lasting impact in their community.

Hughes has helped fill the void of STEM training in the rural central Illinois community where he lives. He has reached more than 6,000 youth across Illinois.

Hughes is a charter member of Team Metal Cow which now boasts 33 members, as well as five other 4-H clubs, including Power Surge, Quadratic Crushers, Spinning Robots, Linden Lead ‘Em, and Robo Vortx 4-H clubs.

“We could never have reached the kids we have without Thad’s help,” said Carolyn Hansen, U of I youth development educator in McLean County. Hughes has provided numerous workshops and demonstrations at county and state events.

“We’re thrilled to support a young man as talented and ambitious as Thad,” said Peter Gulla, senior vice president of marketing at HughesNet. “He not only has a bright future ahead of him in the field of engineering, but has already established himself as a leader and a role model for other youth with an interest in STEM. Our goal through our partnership with 4-H is to empower young people like Thad so they can not only change the world, but inspire others to do so as well.”

Illinois 4-H honored Hughes at the State 4-H Robotics Competition on April 23 on the U of I campus.

For information about the 4-H Robotics program in McLean County,  contact 4-H Youth Development Educator Carolyn Hansen at (309) 862-4041.  For information about 4-H Robotics in Livingston or Woodford Counties, contact 4-H Youth Development Educator, Alcha Corban at (309) 467-3789.

— National 4-H winner is building future one youth at a time  —