Rocking a career

Molly Hunt

As a 5-year-old, Hunt spent many of her days searching for rocks to add to her collection, and over the next five years, this interest only grew. During her second year in the Darke County Ohio 4-H program, she took her rock collection to county judging for the Collectibles project, as Ohio 4-H did not have a geology project at the time. “The judge was impressed with my passion for geology at such a young age and encouraged me to write a geology project book one day,” she said. 

During her last year in 4-H, Hunt did just that. While working as an educational assistant at the Ohio State Fair, she met retired Extension Specialist Robert Horton, PhD, and asked why Ohio did not offer geology projects: “He told me it was because no one had ever written one, and when I asked if there was a way to create these books, he suggested I write them!” 

With the help of Horton and Jane Wright, director of Extension Publishing, Hunt wrote Geology: Can You Dig It?, a project book that explores geosciences. A few years later, Hunt went on to co-write a second project book, Exploring Polar Science, with Jason Cervenec of Ohio State’s Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center. This book takes a closer look at the geography and ecosystems that comprise the Arctic and Antarctica. 

For Hunt, the connections she made through 4-H were invaluable in getting her where she is today: “While serving as a collegiate facilitator at the National 4-H Youth Summit on Healthy Living in Washington, D.C., I interviewed for an internship at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.” After being selected, 4-H allowed her to stay at the Natio 4-H Conference Center during her internship: “This was an unpaid internship, and without the generosity of 4-H, my participation would not have been possible.” 

Hunt earned academic degrees from Edison State Community College and Ohio State. She currently works as a geoscientist and educator, with the flexibility to continue her involvement in Ohio 4-H: “I like to say I’ve never really left 4-H! Last summer, I was invited to educate hundreds of 4-H’ers about Ohio’s geology at programs across the state.” 

“Ohio 4-H is the reason I am living and thriving. It fueled my curiosity from a young age and taught me lifelong skills.” – MOLLY HUNT