Mackenzie Umberger
Weld County 4H Leadership Council
(High School) Scholarship, Kenneth
& Clarice Benson Memorial
Scholarship & Josh Jarman
Memorial Scholarship
Mackenzie is the daughter of Jacob Umberger of Frederick. She is a Senior at CSU and is majoring in Journalism and media communication.
All Mackenzie ever wanted to do her entire life was to entertain others. She was a studio-trained dancer for fourteen years. She loved being on stage because she got that rush of passion for her craft and felt weightless as she moved to the beat. Dance made Mackenzie escape the thoughts in her head for the couple of minutes she would be on stage, and it was so peaceful for in those moments. She is currently studying Journalism and Media Communication at CSU in the College of Liberal Arts and is minoring in Creative Writing, which directly reflects what she wants to do with her life. She has always been a writer at heart and believes she has stories worth telling. Mackenzie’s ultimate career goal is to start her own television production company that shows underrepresented stories, characters, and creators to broader audiences through visual and audio mediums. Mackenzie, as a woman who is actively working towards entering the entertainment and media industry, has faced the struggles that come with sexism in a male dominated field. According to the 2023 report by Dr. Martha M. Lauzen, “Women On Screen and Behind the Scenes on Broadcast and Streaming Television in 2022-23”, women made up 22% of directors and 41% of producers of all scripted television shows. There is a serious problem with having voices heard in Hollywood, and she is working hard now to one day give others who are minorities in the industry.
4-H, throughout Mackenzie’s ten years as a member and now as a leader, has taught her many skills such as ones that are project-based like sewing or cake decorating. It has also taught her skills like public speaking and time management. One of the skills you may not immediately think of when looking back at her 4-H journey is how to be a graceful loser. Mackenzie was in the Shooting Sports project for four years in the Archery discipline. She went to the state fair for Archery three years in a row. No, she wasn't good. Not even a little bit. The thing is, there were six spots to send down to state for each class, and Mackenzie placed second all three years because there were only two in her class. So, she went to state each of those years, and the first year was rough. In total, she earned 8 points in the entire competition. Everyone chalked it up to nerves, and so the next year, she shocked everyone and earned 7 points. Unfortunately, she got worse. Third year rolls around, and she was at the contest as a moral booster for all of the kids from Weld County and the rest of the competition. (She wasn't nearly as bad at county for the record.) she encouraged everyone on her line the way you would've expected them to do for her. She really tried to do better, that year especially, but at the end of the day, 6 points are better than none. She is now a 4-H leader and is the firs -person people send their kids to when they are struggling with losing because she was an "experienced loser". Once she mourned a loss of this or that, that's when it's time to use all of the other skills she learned in 4-H to become better. She is a video producer, and whenever she has a problem on set, she uses her problem-solving skills to fix things in often unique ways. When she has a new show idea, Mackenzie must pitch it in front of her entire class and all three of her professors, but she knows how because of 4-H. She was in the 4-H film making project, and that taught her what it's like to create videos. And 4-H taught her how to move past pitfalls.
Mackenzie is the recipient of the Weld County 4-H Leaders Council (College) Scholarship, Kenneth & Clarice Benson Memorial Scholarship and the Josh Jarman Memorial Scholarship.