TUPELO, Miss. -- Mississippi State University freshmen and 4-H alumnae Alivia Roberts and Laken Lyons, both of Lee County, recently earned recognition for essays promoting community service in memory of Martin Luther King Jr.

Roberts received the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. scholarship, and Lyons received the Modern Beautician Club scholarship. The 2014-2015 scholarships were presented by the King Committee and the Modern Beautician Club of Tupelo.

Roberts, a former president of the Consolidated 4-H Club and a Congressional Gold Medalist, was an active 4-H member for nine years. As a student worker for the MSU Extension Service, Roberts works with the 4-H Technology Team Program. Her supervisor is Linda Mitchell, Extension 4-H professor and regional Extension coordinator based in Tupelo.

“Alivia and Laken are outstanding 4-H alumnae, and they are continuing their tradition of community service even after 4-H,” Mitchell said. “The scholarships are a reflection of their hard work in the past and interest in making their communities better in the future.”

Lyons’ main 4-H project was leadership. In addition to her nine years in 4-H, she served as president of the Mayor’s Youth Council in Plantersville. The youth council traveled to Biloxi each year for the Mississippi Municipality League and joined other teens in a statewide community service project.

Locally, Lyons took part in food drives for area food banks and drives to donate old newspapers to the Lee County Humane Society. Some of her community service activities included playing bingo and other games with local nursing home residents and assisting in an aluminum can recycling project.

Paula Threadgill, assistant director of the MSU Extension Service, said the 4-H curriculum emphasizes leadership and citizenship skill development.

“Our goal in 4-H is for all our participants to excel in these areas as well as any other projects they choose,” she said. “These young women reflect exactly what we want to develop through our programming. They are great examples for young people following in their footsteps.”