Craig Daily Press

Craig — Dessa Linsley, Rio Blanco 4-H Youth Development Agent, described Meeker teen Morgan Neilson as “insanely focused.”

Indeed.

The 16-year-old Morgan is involved in 4-H, high school and church activities galore.

Although Morgan will be a junior at Meeker High School next year, she already has plans for a career. Next year, she will begin taking classes for college credit through Colorado Northwestern Community College’s dual enrollment program.

Morgan’s goal is to go to law school and specialize in water rights. She already has given thought to colleges, too. Stanford, Texas A&M and Colorado State University are among those she mentioned.

Dr. Paul Neilson, Morgan’s father, is veterinarian and owner of The Vet Clinic in Meeker, where Morgan sometimes helps out. Her mother, Renae, is the Rio Blanco County Assessor.

She has two sisters. Her older sister, Kelcee, is about to make Morgan an aunt in June. Her younger sister, Taylor, 12, shows 4-H livestock with Morgan.

“I drag her into all of it,” Morgan said.

Morgan has been in 4-H since she was 8 years old. She raises and shows Suffolk-Hampshire cross sheep at the county and state level. Morgan said she shows ewes and rams at the county fair and feeds and shows market lambs at both county and state fairs.

In 2006 and 2007, Morgan showed the Grand Champion Market Lamb at the Rio Blanco County Fair. In 2006, she placed sixth and seventh with market lambs at the Colorado State Fair. She also placed fifth in showmanship at State Fair.

Morgan said she also has raised some swine and may show them at the county fair this year.

As a member of the Rio Blanco 4-H Livestock Judging Team, coached by Tom Walsh and Ben Rogers, Morgan travels to contests around the state — Adams, Weld, Routt and Gunnison counties’ contests, to name a few.

They’re off to a good start this year. Last weekend, Rio Blanco and Adams 4-H members judged together as a team and placed first during the Gunnison contest.

Not only that, but Morgan is on the Top Ten All-State 4-H Livestock Judging Team. The team members were selected by a point system and were rewarded with belt buckles last year at State Fair, just before the Grand Champion lamb was selected.

During the recent 4-H District Retreat in Craig, Morgan was elected District 11 President, representing Moffat, Rio Blanco, Garfield and Eagle counties.

Next year, Morgan will be on the State 4-H Officer Team that helps put on the annual State 4-H Conference in Fort Collins each June.

Morgan also is an FFA member at Meeker High School. She explained that while her market lambs are shown under 4-H, they’re also part of a supervised agriculture experience FFA project.

Morgan was just elected Meeker High School FFA President for the 2008-09 school year. This past year, she was treasurer.

As a freshman, Morgan was on the FFA Meat Evaluation Team and currently is on the Ag Sales Team. Ag Sales involves picking a product and trying to persuade a judge to buy it. This year, the team sold agriculture recreation rights that went with a parcel of land.

Members on the Ag Sales Team also had to take a test. For their efforts, the Meeker Ag Sales Team won seventh place. For her individual efforts, Morgan received a bronze award.

At Meeker High School, Morgan was elected student council vice-president. Last year, she was the secretary. This spring, she was inducted into the prestigious National Honor Society. She is a member of the Future Business Members of America, Future Community Leaders of America, and plays high school volleyball and basketball.

On June 12, Morgan will attend the Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership Conference for four days at Colorado School of Mines in Golden. One sophomore is selected from each high school in Colorado to attend the conference.

Morgan also is involved in church activities. She sings in the Youth Choir for the Meeker United Methodist Church and is in the church youth group.

When Morgan was in the eighth grade, she went with a church youth group to Mexico, where eight young people and four adults built a home for a young mother and her infant.

Hands Together Missionary started the project on a Monday and completed the dedication on a Friday morning. They started with a slab of concrete, laid cinder blocks, made a roof and windows, set them in and stuccoed the building.

“It was really, really neat,” Morgan said.

Morgan summed up her busy life.

“If you put time and effort into everything you start, the success in the end is definitely worth it,” she said.