Skip to main content

Alumni Spotlight: Marji Guyler-Alaniz


Passionate is a word that describes our July Alum of the Month, Marji Guyler-Alaniz, perfectly.  Marji has dedicated herself to making a difference in the agriculture industry. She has her own business called FarmHer where she focuses on women in agriculture. She photographs women farmers and ranchers and shares the images in an effort to update the image of agriculture. She wants to show women to the world through her beautiful images of them at work.

“My goal is to capture the beauty in the everyday and my style is to show who these women are through subtleties. Subtleties that show these are women and portray that they are agriculture. Too often in our world, the beauty of a woman; of an image, is judged by a face. These are beautiful women, doing beautiful work and my goal is to bring an appreciation to what they do,” Guyler-Alaniz said.

She also sells FarmHer and RanchHer merchandise both online and at various events and fairs. She speaks about FarmHer and shares the photos in a traveling display at events around the country.

While Guyler-Alaniz was in 4-H, she was mostly involved in sewing, but participated in photography and showing her cat as well.

“My favorite memory was wearing the clothes that I made in the 4-H fashion show at our Polk County Fair,” Guyler-Alaniz said.

She did a big project every year with her mom and it taught her a lot.

“Though I did not realize it at the time, 4-H had a big impact on my life! Though my photography skills were just starting in 4-H, it gave me the diving board to jump in and explore.” Guyler-Alaniz said. “That was really a start to my photography driven career.”

Marji keeps herself involved with 4-H as an adult by working with National 4-H on a new co-branded line of 4-H and FarmHer shirts. She was able to be a part of this program due to her status as a 4-H alum. A percent of each sale goes to 4-H!

Check out her clothing at http://www.4-hmall.org/Category/marji-creative-apparel.aspx.

Thank you Marji for your continued support of Iowa 4-H!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Alumni Spotlight: Lindsay Mickelson

When one thinks of 4-H, they might not jump to music. However, 4-H allows youth to develop skills that help in areas of creativity and performance. Lindsay Mickelson was a Dayton Tiger 4-H’er from Webster County. Involved in several project areas, she loved to show pigs at county and State Fair, cattle for a couple years, photography, baking and Share the Fun. “I have so many great memories from 4-H. From playing cards in the cattle barns with friends to earning trophies for raising a fine-looking pig,” says Mickelson. “Fair time was always my favorite time of year because it combined my two favorite things: hanging out with friends and tending to the animals. I can remember the first year when I started 4-H, we had our calves so tame we would lay on them in the barn, just because they would let us. Half the time the calves couldn’t care less, as long as they had food and water, they were happy.” Mickelson identifies 4-H as a steppingstone growing up, teaching her how t...
1 comment
Read more

Alumni Spotlight: Julie (Wolterman) Burroughs

From State Fair Queen to baby food producer, our December Alum of the Month has used the skills gained from her 4-H experience to propel herself to success. Julie (Wolterman) Burroughs was a member of the Garfield All-Stars 4-H Club for nine years in Ida County. Some of her projects included; showing cattle, quilting, knitting, woodworking, child development and much more. She also participated in Clothing Selection, Fashion Revue and 4-H Council.  Julie’s favorite 4-H memory was when she was crowned the 1993 Iowa State Fair Queen.  “The competition was such a valuable experience and my year as Queen, representing Iowa, was phenomenal,” said Burroughs. “The opportunity was such an honor and defined my 4-H experience.” Burroughs went on to coordinate the Iowa State Fair Queen Competition of 14 years. Another fond 4-H memory Burroughs has is showing livestock. “I loved the energy and sense of community on livestock show day. The entire Club worked together to get the...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Special Week - Just for Volunteers!

As the 2010 National Volunteer Week, April 18-24, comes to a close, it is nice to look back to see how counties have recognized those that put their time and effort into helping Iowa’s youth. These volunteers give to 4-H all year long, and it is great to have a week dedicated to their hard work. Here are a few counties that have made the extra effort to show their volunteer appreciation: With a “driving” theme, Muscatine County handed out cards at a recent leader’s training. “Thank you for Driving Muscatine County 4-H Youth to a Successful Future!” was written on the front, with 4-H member’s individual impact statements on the inside. The county also included a $5 gas card to fit the theme. Some quotes found in the card were: “My 4-H leader helps me to work towards my goals, learn how to write presentations/other communication, and to learn how to contribute to my community.” “Our leaders make meetings fun and educational.” “[Leaders] have shown me to grow as an individual an...
8 comments
Read more