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Teen of the Week: PHS’ Casto leads by example

By Brett Dunlap 6 min read

PARKERSBURG - Emma Casto always tries to lead by example in 4-H and in life.

The 18-year-old recent Parkersburg High School graduate has been involved in 4-H since she was 5 years old doing a variety of projects and taking on leadership roles that help her accomplish many of her goals as she looks to the future in attending West Virginia University this fall where she plans to study to become a nurse.

Casto has served as president of the Rebels 4-H Club, running meetings and helping organize the group's community service projects and fundraisers. With the Teen Leaders Club, she has worked with younger members in a variety of ways to help them succeed.

Casto has also held leadership positions at the Wood County 4-H Camp, including chief, where her job was to lead a group of campers, making sure they were where they were supposed to be and behaving all week as well as leading tribal meetings where they planned activities for the campfire and council circle events that night.

"I try to set a good example even when I'm not in a leadership role," Casto said. "I know that the younger kids look up to me, and I always try my best to be a good example."

Casto’s 4-H projects have involved leadership activities, as well as "artsy" efforts like crochet. Her project this year detailed her experiences in leadership positions, including her time as editor-in-chief of The Journal, the PHS school newspaper.

"My project was about my experience being a leader and being in those roles, my responsibilities and some of the privileges," she said. "Each leadership position I have had has taught me something new."

That experience has shown what being a leader is about and how to work with others, how to talk in front of groups, how to know what needs done and how to get people to do things.

"I think the most valuable lesson … is to not be scared of talking in front of others and speaking up," she said. "It has given me the ability to be able to talk in front of my class at school or in my various clubs without being nervous or scared."

At the school newspaper, Casto said she learned about the roles in working for someone and having people working for her while operating in a work environment.

"There is always stuff to learn, even though I have been doing it for years and years," she said.

The idea of helping others and her experiences as a patient in the hospital being treated for an autoimmune disorder led her to explore nursing as a career.

"Having the patient perspective, knowing what they need, how they may be feeling and being able to help them get through that tough experience is what led me there," she said. "Since I have done 4-H my whole life, I have really loved helping people.

"We get to do so much community service and help people who are less fortunate than us. I thought nursing would be a good way to carry that over into my adult life. It is being able to help people who are unable to help themselves."

She was able to do some virtual nurse shadowing her junior year and did it in person from November to April during her senior year.

"It was a really unique experience," Casto said. "I got to shadow in a lot of different units at the hospital and was able to narrow down what I wanted to do.

"I ended up liking the emergency room and labor/delivery. That is what I will hopefully focus on when I do clinicals in college."

Her experience in 4-H is helping her get ready to be in a professional setting.

"Being in 4-H has helped me learn how things work," she said. "I work really well with others.

"I am comfortable being in a leadership position. If I am a charge nurse, I will not be scared of being able to tell others what to do while also keeping myself responsible in doing what I have to do. I will be less scared of being able to jump right in and do something."

While in high school, Casto was in the National Honor Society, National English Honor Society, the Senior Women's Club, the Diversity Student Union and more. She also graduated with a 4.0 grade point average.

"Being involved in so much has taught me about being involved," she said. "When I get to WVU, I plan to continue to do 4-H and continue to join different clubs and associations.

"In high school, that was how I found my people and all my friends."

She can remain in 4-H until she is 21 and then she plans to stay involved as an adult and get her future children involved as well when the time comes.

In preparing to leave for WVU soon, she is really excited about the environment of the college, its connections to the state and its people. She knows a lot of people who are going there.

"I really love this state," Casto said. "It is the traditions of the school and the general vibe up there.

"It is knowing that I am still in West Virginia and in my home state. I really like how it feels. It is such a friendly place. It just makes me want to stay in West Virginia and the mountains. I don't ever want to move out of West Virginia."

When she has not been busy, Casto likes to spend time with her family, including parents Kelly and Doug Casto, brother Douglas Casto, 16, and sister Rose, 11, as well as aunts, uncles and cousins. They have done some camping trips this summer in the mountains.

Her siblings have done a lot of sports which she did not do herself, but she was there cheering them on.

"I am a little sad that I will be away a lot this fall and won't be able to watch them as much," Casto said.

However, she is looking forward to being at WVU for their football games this fall and being part of the crowds and all the traditions that go along with that.

Casto believes her time in 4-H has gone a long way in shaping not only her leadership abilities, but also her personality as a whole.

"Even while I was younger I was starting to learn many useful skills such as working with others and talking in front of groups that I was able to put together and use in my leadership positions now," she said. "As for my leadership style now, I think I am a very-get-things-done type of leader. When I am in a leadership role I like to make sure we are moving steadily and doing everything that needs done and leaving time for fun at the end.

"It has not only taught me many useful leadership skills and the importance of helping others but it has also introduced me to a community where I have made numerous lifelong friends."

Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com.

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