Below is an except of an article by Greg Wallace of Iowa State University about our very own Melissa Tabke. 

AMES, Iowa – For Melissa Tabke, life has been an adventure.

Just before heading to college at Texas Tech University in 2010, the Marcus native and Cherokee County 4-H alum was struck by a motorcycle while walking along the side of a road near her home, leading to multiple surgeries and the eventual amputation of her right leg just above the knee.

Tabke persevered and earned her bachelor’s degree in animal science and master’s degree in animal science-ruminant nutrition in just four years.

Now, she is continuing that adventure abroad while spreading the 4-H message to an entirely new audience.

For the past nine months, Tabke has lived in the West African nation of Ghana, serving with AgriCorps, an organization that connects American agriculture volunteers to the demand for experiential, school-based, agricultural education in developing countries.

She works at a teacher’s training college in Koforidua, the capital of the nation’s Eastern Region, teaching science and agriculture. Tabke also founded the nation’s first collegiate 4-H club, serving as the club’s primary adviser.

She’s teaching students how to be 4-H advisers when they get teaching jobs of their own. She will continue that role next year while serving in Ghana’s northern region, building a foundation for 4-H in Ghana.

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