NC State Extension 4-H specialists call it the spark — the flashpoint that ignites a passion, that informs education and career choices, that creates a lifelong interest.

Every participant in North Carolina 4-H is encouraged to find their spark — the inspiration that will help them grow as leaders, build confidence, and develop real-world skills that endure.

Kira Wiguna found hers through her involvement in Wake County 4-H. As president of the club’s Liberation Out Loud program and vice president of the Teen Council, she discovered a passion for helping through community involvement.

Food insecurity issues are a current focus of Liberation Out Loud. Wiguna has learned about food deserts and community responses in Wake County, reinforcing her values-driven commitment to helping neighbors.

“It feels good inside to help others,” she said. “A lot of people struggle around here. I even have close friends who struggle with food insecurity sometimes. I just feel that it's really good to help out if you're able to, whenever you can.”

So when Wiguna was encouraged to attend the North Carolina Youth Institute, she didn’t hesitate.

The North Carolina Youth Institute (NCYI) is a part of the World Food Prize Foundation's Global Youth Institute. Students are tasked with conducting agriculture-focused research and offering solutions to food security challenges.

“A primary goal is to create a pipeline of future leaders who will be heavily involved in agriculture,” said Ellen Lupkes, senior manager for youth programs and partnerships with the World Food Prize Foundation. “We want students to become the movers and shakers of tomorrow who are creating innovative ideas that help shape agriculture and ultimately increase the quality, quantity and availability of food in the world.”

Wiguna was excited about the opportunity to interact with peers from across the state who are also motivated to help others, and to learn from near-peer mentors who are part of the next generation of leaders in solving global food challenges.

“People here have come up with really innovative ideas and solutions to all these different problems, like sustainable ag and animal health,” she said. “I just want to meet new people and learn a lot more.”

The annual conference is hosted by NC State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, NC State Extension's 4-H youth development program, CALS’ Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, and the North Carolina Plant Sciences Initiative (N.C. PSI). This year, 115 students from North Carolina and neighboring states attended the two-day event at NC State’s Plant Sciences Building.

“There are so many positive impacts that come out of this,” said Liz Driscoll, Extension 4-H specialist and NCYI coordinator. “A lot of young people come to this from non-agricultural backgrounds. For them, it's an eye-opening experience to see the impact of agriculture both globally and in a community-based context. Those that do have an agriculture background find that the opportunities are bigger than what they might have originally imagined by having exposure to new and innovative technologies.”

Participants choose a country and a challenge to research. They complete five-page papers, then present and discuss their work in small groups and at a poster celebration that brings together families, teachers, mentors and university leaders.

“Sometimes it's a lot of work to get involved,” Wiguna said. “The effort we have to put into this is a lot. But if it's for a good cause and it's something you're really passionate about, then it's worth doing. Even though I'm really busy with 4-H and AP classes, it's something I'm passionate about. I don't mind spending the time on it.”

Wiguna’s Indonesian heritage informed her decision to research diseases affecting tilapia in the archipelago’s fisheries and aquaculture. She explored a multi-integrated feed additive approach using prebiotics and oils to improve disease prevention in farmed fish.

Michael Schwabe, a senior from Gastonia, also conducted research in fisheries and aquaculture, focusing on the failure of seasonal upwelling in the Gulf of Panama in 2025.

He learned about the youth institute after participating in the Resource Conservation Workshop conducted by Driscoll. It was a perfect opportunity to explore his interest in undergraduate research.

The experience reinforced his desire to study environmental science in the College of Natural Resources at NC State.

“There's so many different areas I'd love to explore, like climate research, water management, whatever I find here at NC State,” he said. “I'm really excited for those opportunities.”

The conference includes a local service experience, reinforcing the connection between global issues and community needs. This year the students worked at the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle farm in Raleigh. They learned about the organization’s efforts to solve local hunger issues, then helped build planting boxes, harvested and cleaned vegetables, and participated in weeding and mulching.

On campus, each of the NCYI participants had an opportunity to work with near-peers, CALS graduate students who served as mentors. The idea came from Sarah Dinger, the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative’s program manager for education and extension outreach and co-chair of the NCYI.

“Sarah had this brilliant idea to pair our graduate students in CALS to serve as their research mentors,” Driscoll said. “These graduate students serve as coaches throughout this process. They really connect with each other.”

Caitlin Kestell, a doctoral candidate in crop science, served as one of the mentors. She guided a group of students through a DNA extraction using strawberries.

“It's amazing to see young people so engaged in science,” Kestell said. “They were asking questions I didn't even know the answer to, and I'm a doctoral candidate. I also think that by engaging with them we’re showing them they could be a student here. They can really envision themselves making an impact on the Earth and on other people. They have that spark of curiosity.”

Wiguna, who found her spark to help people through 4-H, wants to study animal science at NC State when she graduates from high school.

“I want to do livestock veterinary science, to study animal health so we can prevent diseases and reduce food insecurity,” she said. “NC State is really good for animal science, plant biology and all the life sciences. My mom is an alum here for computer science. I'm kind of biased, but my family loves NC State.”

Wiguna’s college and career choices were reinforced by participating in the NCYI. Other students begin to consider agriculture for the first time.

“We've had young people change their trajectory,” Driscoll said. “Maybe they were thinking pre-med or biochemistry — all great professions — but now they see how agriculture fits in the global health picture.”

Exposure to CALS faculty, staff and graduate students often solidifies NC State as their preferred school.

“They think that they're on the right path and NC State is the place for them,” Driscoll said. “Once you're part of the CALS family, you're always family, so we'll support you wherever you go.”

While the NCYI can be a good recruitment tool for 4-H, FFA and CALS, the main reason it has been hosted on the NC State campus for a dozen years is to cultivate future agricultural and food-security leaders.

“What we really want to do is to grow that next generation of ag leaders,” Driscoll said.