At 5 o’clock in the morning, as the sun slowly peeks through the windows, strings senior Musiq Williams knows it is time to head outside and tend to her four chickens, eight ducks, and all other animals that call her and her neighbor’s urban farm home. Williams started this routine when she helped build the farm in tenth grade, an experience that her father, Eusebius Williams, described as “following her dreams.” Musiq Williams says that taking care of the animals is “peaceful,” and a way for her to relieve stress. 

Williams’ father and grandfather have a history in agriculture, but her interest was furthered in her 8th-grade physical science class, taught by Bak Middle School of the Arts science teacher Tara Quadagno. 

“I remember one day she told me that she had chickens,” Ms. Quadagno said. “I thought that was great, and she told me about how she farmed with her grandfather. I could tell she loved it, and I was interested in hearing her tell me all about it.”

Later that year, Ms. Quadagno received a message in her school mailbox from the 4-H club, and after reading the information, she says she thought Williams would find the program interesting. 

4-H is a national youth development program that encourages people aged 5-18 to build leadership, communication, and life skills through hands-on experiences in areas including science, health care, agriculture, and more. In Florida, 4-H is run through the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension. 

With the encouragement from Ms. Quadagno, Williams filled out an application to join 4-H, and soon attended her first meeting at Mounts Botanical Garden of Palm Beach County. 

Soon after joining 4-H, she taught children with autism spectrum disorder how to show animals at the South Florida Fair, showcasing how animals could be a way for them to release stress.  

“That was really big for me because I love helping teach the younger kids,” Williams said. “That’s my favorite thing to do, so having the opportunity to facilitate their learning while also teaching them something that I’m really passionate about, like poultry and birds, was really exciting.”

As part of the 4-H program, Williams has competed in public speaking, poultry showmanship, and citizenship projects. When Williams first joined 4-H, she described herself as “shy and quiet,” but going to events helped “open her up” and made her more “confident in public speaking.” At the end of her 10th-grade year, Williams went to Gainesville to give a speech to the undersecretary of Agriculture for Research, Education, and Economics, Chavonda Jacobs-Young. A landmark in Williams’ 4-H journey, this would be the first time she spoke in front of Florida state officials.

“Me and her really connected on a personal level due to her not growing up in agriculture and her learning more when she got into higher education and the job as undersecretary,” Williams said. “(It’s similar) to me actually joining 4-H and getting those roles that pushed me into those types of spaces.”

Williams served as the Palm Beach 4-H Teen Leadership Council President during her freshman and sophomore years. During her term, she aimed to get more teenagers involved in 4-H, following diminished membership after COVID-19, by leading her chapter in volunteering opportunities. These opportunities featured festivals, working at fishing camps as camp counselors, and Bingo Night fundraisers.

“Learning leadership entrepreneurship skills will take us really far in life,” Williams said. “And then also those interdisciplinary skills of community service, which are really important, because 4-H is all about giving back to the community.”

During her junior year, Williams stepped down from her position as President to serve as the Palm Beach 4-H Teen Leadership Council Vice-President, wanting the role to go to one of the new members of the 4-H program. When she first joined 4-H, she had the long-term goal of eventually becoming a state officer. 

“A lot of the people I looked up to in 4-H were state officers,” Williams said. “Getting that position is a really big jump into your future. Last year, I ran for a position, and I didn’t get it. I was embarrassed.”

The following year, despite her friends pushing her to do so, Williams planned not to run. The day the application was due, she realized she should have applied, but knew she didn’t have the time to complete the form. Later that day, Williams received an email letting her know that the state officer application was extended nine days, which she explained was “God telling (her) to run.”

“They (4-H) never push back deadlines, and you don’t have second chances with that,” Williams said. “So I was like ‘Wow, I should really take my opportunity.’”

This year, Williams was elected as the State Reporter, one of eight state council positions. Over the summer, all new state elected officials attended mandatory officer training at Cherry Lake 4-H Camp in Madison, FL, which Williams had previously lobbied at the Florida State Capitol to achieve more funding for.

“It was a time for us (the State Council) to really bond and understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses while getting to know each other,” Williams said. “We’re going to be working with each other for the entire year, and so it’s important to understand how each other works under pressure.”

At Cherry Lake 4-H camp, the state officers sang camp songs and participated in prank wars and rap battles. It is during this time that Saint Joseph Academy senior and current Florida 4-H State Council Parliamentarian Ricky Fernandez first got to interact and work with Williams.

“Musiq’s so infectiously fun,” Fernandez said. “She is always bringing the energy. She’s just always over the top in the best way possible.”

One of Williams’ planned initiatives for the upcoming year is to create a 4-H yearbook for current members to “connect and celebrate” with one another. In addition, Williams aspires to work with the State Council to start a youth-led media hub, where 4-H members submit their accomplishments for recognition throughout the year.

“You would not know that people have these amazing accolades because our counties do not talk, and there’s not a way for anyone to share and celebrate each other,” Williams said. “I wanted there to be a way for us to really connect by submitting submissions of our talents, and having that kind of outlet for people to connect with one another and see what each other are doing.”

While Williams will age out of the 4-H program this year, she plans to major in a Pre-Law track studying either agricultural communications or business management in the future. She made this decision after speaking to Florida Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins, who introduced her to multiple farmers at the annual Florida Farm Bureau conference meeting. 

One of them told Williams how he had lost his farm and couldn’t reclaim

it because large corporations had come in and bought up the land. This conversation led Williams to become “really interested in finding ways to advocate for farmers,” convincing her to pursue agricultural law in the future.

“I am blown away, but not surprised, at how far Musiq has come with the 4-H program,” Ms. Quadagno said. “She has always stood out as a leader in the classroom. Musiq is driven, determined, and does it all with a positive attitude and a smile on her face. It’s been a while since she was my student, but she is most definitely one of the most memorable ones.”