AUSTINTOWN — Katie Prosser knows how to keep busy.

She enjoys volunteering and animals, while balancing a full-time military career. Her passions have their roots in her youth.

She grew up in Springfield Township and at age 8, she began developing her passions. That is when she joined 4-H and because her family had a small farm, she took on animal projects. She has shown pigs, lambs, rabbits, chickens and calves at the fair.

“In my senior year in 4-H, I did 13 animal projects,” she said. “One was a calf named Maisie. The people I sold Maisie to ended up breeding her and she has since produced five calves that were shown at the fair. How neat is that?”

Her 4-H involvement included serving as president of her club, called Mahoning Power Pets, and she served on the Junior Fair Board for four years.

However, her youth was not just centered around 4-H. She also was involved heavily with Angels for Animals. She was only 12 when she heard about the need for helpers.

“The problem was the fact that kids under age 16 needed an adult in order to volunteer,” Prosser said. “That is when my aunt, Robyn Prosser, stepped up to take me.”

That was 14 years ago and Prosser has served in the cat shelter, the dog shelter and the vet clinic. She still tries to get in one day per week to help out any way she can.

She graduated from Springfield High School in 2015 and started college at Ohio State’s Agricultural Tech Institute.

She was studying pre-veterinarian medicine — following her passion for animals. After one year, she switched to Bowling Green State University for pre-med. In her second year at Bowling Green, Prosser decided to serve others by enlisting in the U.S. Air Force.

She was stationed at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station in Vienna, so she transferred to Youngstown State University to finish her bachelor’s degree.

“I was full time in the Air Force and full time at YSU,” Prosser said. “It was very challenging.”

Over the past five years, she said she worked hard and earned her E5 (staff sergeant) status. At the base’s command post, she works with flights and emergency management.

Prosser settled in Austintown and continues volunteering at the fairgrounds and at Angels for Animals. She serves on the 4-H Pop Shop Committee and is an adviser-mentor for young kids with rabbit projects.

At her home, she lives what she believes. She has two rescue dogs, Remi and Toby. Remi came from a Texas shelter that was overwhelmed with dogs and was euthanizing them. Prosser said she couldn’t let that happen.

Toby is a rescue from Angels for Animals, but started out as a foster dog that Prosser was caring for at home until shelter space opened up.

“Toby is a failed foster,” Prosser said. “I was supposed to be taking care of him until he could be adopted out. I ended up keeping him. I found my new best friend.”

For the future, Prosser plans to continue her volunteer efforts at Angels and at the Junior Fair. As for her military career, she has set her sights high.

“Next year is year six and I plan on re-enlisting,” she said. “I am hoping to someday become a commissioned officer.”

As she looks back over her young life, she can see from where her passion has grown.

“I grew up on a farm,” she said. “It gave me a lot of experience working with animals. I hope to someday build a barn and go back into raising rabbits. In the meantime, I will continue to foster cats.”