Maddy Calaway, who will be a junior at Symmes Valley High School this fall, has had a busy month.

The member of the Getaway Go-Getters 4-H club was named fair princess at this year’s Lawrence County Fair and was reserve champion in the market steer event and grand champion in the feeder steer competition.

But in the months prior, she received a state honor and took part in a national event.

Calaway, 16, won the title of Miss Teen Ohio U.S. Agriculture in May and went on to compete for the national title as the pageant in Birmingham, Alabama on June 24.

The pageant is about more than simply wearing formal gowns and looking nice for the cameras.

Entrants must have a background in agriculture, which Calaway surely does, having raised cattle for two years, served on the junior fair board and been active in her school’s 4-H group and the Lawrence Cattle Association.

Calaway read of the state competition and took the initiative to enter, where she won the crown and sash.

Then, as part of the competition, she represented Ohio on the national stage, providing information about the agriculture industry, the biggest in the state.

Many local individuals and businesses helped to sponsor the Proctorville teen’s trip, where she spoke of the $105 billion industry, which comprises sheep, dairy, soybeans and corn farming among its biggest sectors.

Calaway has shown a strong work ethic and her many accomplishments at such a young age are evidence of that.

Congratulations to Calaway for this national honor and for doing an excellent job serving as an ambassador for our state.