The Massachusetts 4-H Foundation has announced the recipients of the 2025 Kent Lage Leadership Award.
Susan (Suzie) Barrows of Upton has been named one of the two first-place winners of $1,125 for the 2025 Kent Lage Leadership Award. A 2025 graduate of Nipmuc Regional High School, Suzie plans to attend Cornell University in the fall.
In October 2024, Suzie was named a National 4-H Council Youth in Action finalist, one of only 12 youth nationwide to hold this honor. She also attended National 4-H Congress as a member of the design team in 2023, where she helped plan the event and served as a master of ceremonies.
A 4-H participant since she was five, Suzie has served as President of her 4-H club, the Upton Hoofbeats. She has shown goats and sheep throughout her time in 4-H. Suzie participated in the Eastern National 4-H Round Up multiple times, and her Communications team was named champion in 2023. Suzie also was named as an inaugural member of the Massachusetts Agricultural Youth Council in 2024.
Outside of 4-H, Suzie has participated in the Nipmuc High School Student Council and is a member of the National Honor Society. She plays the flute and piccolo in her school’s wind ensemble and pep band. She also is a member of the Nipmuc Drama Guild and directed a play her senior year.
Miru Kunst of West Boylston was named one of the two first-place winners for the 2025 Kent Lage Leadership Award, earning a $1,125 scholarship. A 2025 graduate of Norfolk County Agricultural High School (NCAHS), Miru plans to attend Worcester Polytechnic Institute in the fall, majoring in Industrial Engineering.
After participating in 4-H for 10 years, Miru was honored this year with the Key Award, which recognizes 4-H members for their outstanding personal development and overall achievement gained through 4-H participation. After attending the Ignite Summit in 2023, Miru was instrumental in helping to organize a Day of Ag-Cess that introduced projects to combat food insecurity. She served as a county captain and created promotional materials for this day of community service. In 2024, Miru was named as an inaugural member of the Massachusetts Agricultural Youth Council, which was created by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources to develop the next generation of leaders in agriculture.
Throughout her time in 4-H, Miru earned awards for everything from crafts and sewing to showing her goats at county fairs and The Big E. She also served as a 4-H Ambassador, sharing her communication skills as the media coordinator for the group.
Miru has been very active in school and community activities. She is currently secretary of the class council at NCAHS and leads school open houses as a Student Ambassador. Miru played basketball all through high school. She also pursued leadership roles in other youth development organizations. Miru served as President of the Norfolk County Chapter of FFA and was the first female in West Boylston to achieve the Eagle Scout rank from Scouting America.
Congratulations, Suzie and Miru!
