Bridger Arrington’s 4-H journey began with an orphaned, bottle-fed lamb named Val. That first project sparked a passion for agriculture and giving back to the community that has now earned him a place in the Oklahoma 4-H Hall of Fame.
Arrington, a member of the Mulhall-Orlando 4-H Club in Logan County, was honored during the Masonic Charity Foundation of Oklahoma Honor Night Assembly at the 104th State 4-H Roundup at Oklahoma State University. As a Hall of Fame inductee, he received a $5,000 scholarship sponsored by Farm Credit Associations of Oklahoma. He was also named to the Blue Award Group.
Having served as the 2024-2025 Oklahoma 4-H President, Arrington has spent nine years in the program, building a legacy of leadership and service. Along with his project work in agriculture and natural resources, he found success competing in livestock quiz bowl, skill-a-thon, shooting sports, commercial cattle grading and beef advocacy.
“Joining 4-H has been one of the most impactful things I have ever done,” Arrington said. “Through 4-H, I have learned how to share the skills I have attained with others, so that they can have the opportunities I have had, and I have learned how to advocate for things I believe in.”
He credits his parents, Ryan and Kayce Arrington, as the biggest influences in his 4-H journey.
“My mom was my 4-H leader at Mulhall, and my dad was my 4-H shooting sports coach,” he said. “They should probably get this award more than me. They still help even though they’re not members anymore.”
Community service has been a cornerstone of Arrington’s 4-H experience. One of his most meaningful projects has been organizing meal packing events with Stomp Out Starvation, a nonprofit that provides food to people in need worldwide.
“The man in charge of this project brought back a picture book from Haiti, where people were making mud pies out of dirt, salt and whatever flour they could get a hold of just to have something to eat every other day,” he said. “It’s incredible to see how much of a difference that project can make and how easy it was for anyone to do it. I’ve had people everywhere from 5 to 90 years old work on this project and make a huge difference.”
Arrington’s leadership extends across all levels of 4-H. He has served as a local and county officer, Northeast District secretary and state secretary before being elected state president. He has also represented Oklahoma 4-H at national events, including National 4-H Congress, Citizenship Washington Focus and the National Farm Bureau Convention.
“My goal was to help make new leaders who can take my place when I’m gone,” he said. “Now that I’m not going to be in 4-H, I want to help those people become officers and become leaders.”
Tonya Middleton, agriculture education teacher at Mulhall-Orlando, said Arrington’s ability to recognize the strengths in others has made him a natural leader.
“Bridger is one of those young men who brings out the best in everyone,” Middleton said. “He sees the good in people, identifies their strengths and helps them find a place where they can grow. That’s allowed him to become a leader and an influencer in our chapter and beyond.”
She recalled a moment early in his 4-H career that stood out.
“I found him helping a little girl get to the show ring at the Tulsa State Fair,” she said. “He was only 12, but he saw that she needed encouragement and stepped up to do it. That’s just who he is — whether he’s helping coach a cattle grading team or organizing a dance to raise money, he’s always looking to bring everybody in to make them part of something.”
In addition to his 4-H work, Arrington is a member of the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry’s Ag Youth Council, the National Technical Honor Society and the Alpha Beta Upsilon chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society.
He is also known for his musical talent, performing the National Anthem on his fiddle at events such as the Oklahoma Youth Expo, Tulsa State Fair and National 4-H Congress.
“To me, being inducted into the Hall of Fame is important because the guy who taught me how to run for office and was kind of my role model — he was state president, then he was in the Hall of Fame,” Arrington said. “I’ve done everything else up until this, and by getting the Hall of Fame, I’ve become what I wanted to be whenever I was younger in 4-H. I became my role model.”
Although he is moving to Idaho to attend commercial flight school, Arrington said he plans to stay connected to 4-H.
“I’ve already told several people at the state office that I’d like to come back and help with state contests or record books in the future,” he said. “I’ve also met some people in Idaho 4-H and told them I’d like to volunteer. I want to give back, even if it’s in a different state.”
The Oklahoma 4-H Youth Development program provides experiential and hands-on learning opportunities to help youth learn valuable life skills they need to become leaders within their clubs, communities, state and world. Most programming is available at little to no cost. 4-H membership is open to youth in each of Oklahoma’s 77 counties where OSU Extension educators are equipped with research-based information to help all residents solve local issues, promote leadership and manage resources.
MEDIA CONTACT: Dakota Ballard | Office of Communications & Marketing, OSU Agriculture | 405-744-9645 | dakota@okstate.edu
