For James the selection process for the honor began when she submitted an application for National 4-H Congress in the spring of her sophomore year. From these applications, students were selected for an interview at Texas 4-H State Round-Up at College Station in June.
From the interviews, 20 students were selected as delegates to represent Texas 4-H at National 4-H Congress. James could have also attended the National 4-H Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. as she received first place on her State Goat 4-H Record Book.
On the first night James met and exchanged state pins with delegates from all 50 states plus some from delegates of Puerto Rico. The next day delegates feasted on meals from different countries such as China, England, and Russia. Cultural performances from the countries followed the dinner with characters dressed up representing each country. James attended many leadership sessions and team building activities where she had the opportunity to interact with teens from other states. The delegates toured the Atlanta History Museum. James said, “I enjoyed seeing the history of the Civil War and the Olympic history.”
James volunteered to help teachers at Parkside Elementary School in Atlanta. She worked as a mentor with individual children as her community service project. After assisting at the elementary school, James toured Atlanta. She saw the Olympic Stadium, the Olympic Torch, the home and burial site of Martin Luther King, Jr. and toured the CNN studio. In the evening she attended a semi-formal Congress Gala in the Georgia State Aquarium ballroom. Miss America, Kirsten Haglund was the guest speaker.
“My trip to Atlanta was one of the most amazing experiences of my life that I will never forget. The skills I acquired and the people I met will be one of the greatest memories of my life. I love 4-H and all the opportunities it has given me,” James said.
Liska was selected to attend the Texas 4-H Leadership Conference for her first place state winning record book. This year there were 334 record books submitted from across Texas.
Liska flew out on Friday, Nov. 28 for five days at the National 4-H Conference Center in Washington. D.C. Upon arrival the group met at the Pentagon Mall for lunch. Following Liska toured Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, and many other Memorials. The evening meal was held at ESPN Zone. The group arrived at the conference center late in the evening; after a few hours sleep they were up and on their way to the Arlington Cemetery. Liska was chosen to lay a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknowns. From there, Liska visited the Iwo Jima Monument. Following she had the opportunity to walk around the White House area. In the evening the group had dinner at the Old Ebbitt Grill and enjoyed the play, Shear Madness at the Kennedy Center.
The following day Liska visited the National Cathedral where she had the joy of doing a reading as she does for her own church. Afterwards she visited the Washington Monument and the Holocaust Museum where she received the identification card of a person that lived during the Holocaust. These identification cards describe the experiences of that person. It is designed to be carried through the exhibition to help visitors to personalize the historical events of the time.. “The tour of the Holocaust Museum was a moving experience for me. Ever since watching the move about Anne Frank in Junior High I wanted to get one of the identification cards. I will always treasure the card of Holocaust victim, Chaje Isakovic Adler,” said Liska.
Following she visited the Smithsonian Castle and the National Air and Space Museum. The next morning the entire group was photographed in front of the Capitol and then they gathered inside for a tour. The afternoon was spent touring the Ford theatre, Peterson House, National Archives and U.S. Botanical Garden before returning to the rooms for a short nights rest and traveling home. “This trip to Washington, D.C. was a memorable experience for me. Not only did I get to see historical sites, but I made lifelong friends,” said Liska.
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