AgCareers.com Campus Ambassadors & Interns: Where Are They Now?

By   |   March 20th, 2017   |   0 Comments

AgCareers.com has employed several interns over the nearly 20 years in business as well as numerous campus ambassadors throughout North America during the duration of the AgCareers.com Campus Ambassador program. We caught up with four former interns and campus ambassadors to hear how their time with AgCareers.com impacted their professional careers and what they’re doing today.

 

Rachael Ashley - AgCareers.com Campus AmbassadorRachael Ashley – AgCareers.com Campus Ambassador 2011-2012, University of Idaho

 

How did your position with AgCareers.com aid you in your professional development?

 

Being an AgCareers.com ambassador helped me understand the importance of networking and expanding your professional circle. It’s easy to stay in your comfort zone and to avoid the risk of putting yourself out there, but nothing magical happens in this safe space. As an ambassador, I tapped into my network and grew my connections from the opportunities those connections provided. Working with new students, faculty and industry professionals exposed me to different ways of thinking and opened my eyes to opportunities I never knew existed. I would not have had the courage (or network) to pursue a career so different from what I had planned for without being a part of the AgCareers.com ambassador program.

 

What do you do today?

 

I manage the implementation of the Land O’Lakes SUSTAIN on-farm dairy sustainability program, which provides mutual value to our cooperative member-owners and key customers by measuring farms’ environmental profiles and implementing value-added sustainability efforts with dairy members through data-driven insights.

 

Do you have any advice for agricultural job seekers today?

 

Agriculture has huge challenges to meet in the very near future – we need to feed over 9 billion people be 2050 with shrinking resources, so put your creative thinking caps on! We need the top innovative, strategic, creative thinkers who truly believe that nothing is impossible to join us. The career opportunities in agriculture are endless and new jobs that never existed before are being created every day, so no matter what fuels your passion, you can find a career in Ag to do what you love and be a part of a cause that’s truly meaningful: to feed and clothe the entire world.

 

 

Caitlin Keck - AgCareers.com Campus AmbassadorCaitlin Keck- AgCareers.com Campus Ambassador 2010-2011, University of Minnesota – Twin Cities

 

How did your position with AgCareers.com aid you in your professional development?

 

Being an AgCareers.com intern helped me discover the wide range of careers available in agriculture. It was a great opportunity to refine my networking and speaking skills while learning more about companies in the agriculture industry as well.

 

What do you do today?

 

I’m currently the Marketing & Communications Director at Environmental Tillage Systems, the manufacturer of SoilWarrior zone tillage equipment, where I am responsible for executing a comprehensive marketing strategy that includes traditional, digital and social media, tradeshows and events along with public relations.

 

Do you have any advice for agricultural job seekers today?

 

Be sure you’re able to explain how you are differentiated from the rest of the candidates applying for a position. What makes you unique? Practice your interview skills and refine your resume accordingly. A good resume will get you in the door, a good interview will get the employer interested, and a key differentiator will help you get the job.

 

 

Mark McKown - AgCareers.com InternMark McKown – AgCareers.com Marketing Intern 2012

 

How did your position with AgCareers.com aid you in professional development?

 

I think that my summer in Iowa with AgCareers.com taught me largely how to communicate in a professional setting. My experiences led to developing a ‘voice’ of sorts in terms of corresponding with colleagues, and creating content or materials in a professional setting. Also, I recall during my time as an intern a tremendous amount of questioning. I would frequently drop in on Bonnie, Erika, or other colleagues in the Ames office asking for guidance and advice. I leaned heavily on others to ensure cohesiveness on my projects, but also on the application of new ideas. I remember that this summer was the beginning of Instagram. I had downloaded the app and recall introducing it to other people in the office and using it to edit some pictures for hot sauce if I remember correctly.

 

This was the summer that I met my now-wife. She had come with another friend to visit me for a weekend in Iowa. Although we didn’t know it at the time, later that year she would end up transferring to a different university, we would begin dating, and in three years we would be getting married. If I had not worked in Iowa that summer who knows if we would have ever met.

 

What do you do today?

 

Today I am a 7th and 8th Grade Agriculture Science Teacher. I work in Edwardsville, IL a downstate suburb in the Metro-East of Saint Louis, Missouri. I was hired on to begin this middle school agriculture program in conjunction with the existing high school program. On average, I will teach a little under 500 different students throughout the school year. We have chartered FFA Chapters for each of the two middle schools in the district and have created a ripple effect across the state for middle school agriculture development.

 

Do you have any advice for future AgCareers.com interns?

 

If I were to give advice to future interns, I would remind them that authenticity is crucial. Whether you are working with adults or students, if you are not authentic you will lack effectiveness and competency to complete the tasks at hand. If you have questions, ask them. If you have new ideas, share them. You are your biggest advocate, and your biggest challenge. You need to be true to yourself. The more you apply yourself and not someone else, not only will you be happier, but satisfied that you did your best.

 

Kristen Faucon - AgCareers.com InternKristen Faucon – AgCareers.com Marketing Intern 2013

 

How did your position with AgCareers.com aid you in professional development?

 

I interned for AgCareers.com early in my college career and I learned a lot about being an exceptional employee and how to grow responsibility. I really developed my soft skills and I received a lot of great advice that I continue to carry with me. What I learned in that internship are skills I used to elevate myself to where I am today. They probably don’t want me to share that there was a lot of advice around “finding a husband who can do math for you!” While I may not be known for my athleticism, I was the three-time bocce ball champion in the office that summer.

 

What do you do today?

 

Today I am the Issues Manager for GROWMARK. In this role I communicate, advocate and educate on behalf of GROWMARK and the FS System in the legislative and regulatory arenas.

 

Do you have any advice for future AgCareers.com interns?

 

There is probably no other internship where you can be surrounded by career experts and have access to such a large network of HR professionals in food and agribusiness. Take advantage of this opportunity to learn as much as you can and soak up as much good advice as possible. It was in this internship that I learned the most about being a good candidate and ultimately a good employee.

 

While AgCareers.com has discontinued our Campus Ambassador program, we still hire a Marketing Intern yearly. If you are a college student interested in pursuing that opportunity in future years, watch for that posting to go up in October/November prior to the coming summer internship.

 

In the meantime, search for various and exceptional internship opportunities by visiting AgCareers.com’s Internship Page. You may also find opportunities as a campus ambassador for various agricultural brands by making a quick search for “campus.”




No Comments

No comments yet.

RSS feed for comments on this post.

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.