Finland awaits Wheatlanders

WHEATLAND — Two Wheatland High School students and their science teacher will spend 15 days in Finland this summer as part of a cultural exchange program.
Ian Engling and Katie Currier, as well as teacher Jerimy Fox, will travel to Finland in July as part of the Wyoming-Finland 4-H Exchange Program.
“It’s an opportunity for youth to experience foreign cultures firsthand,” Fox said during an interview April 4.
Fox said in summer 2019, Finnish students will come to Wyoming for a couple of weeks.
“A couple of them will probably stay with me,” Fox said. Fox lives in Cheyenne but commutes to Wheatland to teach.
Engling, 15, said he’s always had an interest in traveling the world and learning about different cultures. He has been involved in 4-H since he was 9, except for last year.
“I’m excited … I was surprised when I got selected,” Engling said during an interview Friday. “There were a lot of applicants.”

Fox said 4-H received 35 applications from Wyoming and Utah this year. Two of the 18 students selected for exchange are from Wheatland High School, and an alternate from Chugwater waits in the wings in case one of the Wheatlanders can’t make the trip.
“Platte County has represented itself pretty well in this year’s program,” Fox observed.
Fox said several criteria are considered when selecting candidates. According to the 4-H page on the University of Wyoming website, 4-H members ages 14-19 are eligible to participate. Students are selected based on their personal leadership skills, involvement in community service activities, academic and social skills, openness and flexibility, and interest in learning about cultural differences and global issues.
Engling said in order to be considered, he had to fill out a form, as well as write about the leadership roles he’s been in, his interests, global problems and why he should be considered for the program.
Fox said the international travel program was funded by the U.S. State Department until last summer, but now it is run exclusively by the Wyoming State 4-H Foundation for students in Wyoming and Utah. He said 4-H took over funding to ensure that youth get international cultural exchange opportunities, and the 4-H Foundation pays part of expenses. Due to limited funding, participants are asked to cover $1,600 of the expenses.
“4-H doesn’t have the funding the State Department had to make the trip free for kids,” Fox said.
Fox said Wyoming 4-H started the cultural exchange “sort of by accident” with a trip to Mongolia. The University of Wyoming agriculture department had a cooperative relationship with Mongolia due to Mongolia and Wyoming having similar agricultural conditions. 4-H members wanted to go to Mongolia and found out about the State Department grant that was available at the time.
Fox said 4-H took 20 students per year the first two trips to Mongolia, then the State Department changed its list of countries for the exchange. He said Wyoming 4-H went to Samoa the third and fourth years, then to Ghana, West Africa. Last year when the State Department funding dried up, Fox said 4-H had a small trip to Mongolia.
“It’s really an amazing opportunity for our kids to get these international traveling opportunities and go to other cultures and see what they do,” Fox said.
Fox said it is up to the individual students whether to do fundraising.
“I’ve given them ideas, but I don’t think either one has fundraising set up,” Fox said. “But I’m sure any help they could get would be appreciated and would be money well spent.”
For more information, call Platte County 4-H at 322-3667.