A Charles Henderson High School junior has been selected to represent Alabama 4-H as a delegate to Citizenship Washington Focus in June.

Veneekia Daniels was notified of her selection Monday by Grant Lyons, Pike County Extension coordinator.

“I haven’t received my letter yet but Mr. Lyons told me and I’m so excited,” Daniels said. “This is something that I have wanted for a long time but I knew it was very competitive and I didn’t let my hopes get up too much. I’m overwhelmed. This is the opportunity of a lifetime.”

As one of Alabama’s 14 delegates to Citizenship Washington Focus, Daniels will participate with other 4-H delegates from across the country in activities and events designed to develop and refine their civic engagement skills in order for them to be outstanding leaders in their communities and beyond.

Daniels said she is looking forward to meeting other 4-H leaders and cultivating new friendships but, most of all, she is anxious to tour the sites of the nation’s capital and take advantage of the opportunities to develop her leadership skills.

“The 4-H Club is not the same club that it was when I was in fourth grade,” she said. “It’s still as much fun but it also offers opportunities to be involved in and learn about so many different things.”

Daniels said she is especially interested in public speaking and community service because they are so important to the improvement of leadership skills.

“I also enjoy the food programs and the competitions,” she said. “I enter all the baked foods competitions and I’ve always place first or second. And, I won the state chicken-que with the chicken basted with my secret spices barbecue sauce.”

Daniels is president of the CHHS 4-H Club and also president of the Future Business Leaders of America. She works at the school’s T-Shop and is the videographer for the Lady Trojans varsity basketball team.

What Daniels has learned and the experiences that she has enjoyed have prepared her to get the most from the opportunity before her.

“I know that I will see a lot and learn a lot at Citizenship Washington Focus,” she said. “If I had not continued in 4-H, I would not have had this opportunity. Anything you want to do or learn about, you can do in 4-H. It prepares you to be ready when opportunity knocks and I was ready if I got selected for Citizenship Washington Focus. I’m just so proud I’m getting this chance.”

Citizenship Washington Focus is a weeklong living classroom that provides hands-on educational workshops where the delegates learn about the nation’s history, its leaders and how to apply leadership and citizenship skills when they return home.