As an incoming\u00a0freshman\u00a0at Iowa State University, I was eager to get involved and build my network. I had mentors tell me that agricultural communications is an incredibly competitive field. Their advice was simple, \u201cSay yes to new opportunities, build your skills, and gain as much experience as possible.\u201d\u00a0The more experiences you have, the better\u00a0you\u2019ll\u00a0understand what you enjoy and the stronger\u00a0communicator\u00a0you\u2019\u2019\u00a0become.\u00a0Still, it was overwhelming. I\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0sure which clubs to join, what classes to take, or where to apply for internships and scholarships. I wanted to make the most of my college experience, but figuring out where to start\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0easy.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
During that search, I discovered\u00a0College Aggies Online.\u00a0<\/h2>\n
At the time, I had never heard of the\u00a0Animal Agriculture Alliance<\/a>\u00a0or knew much about the program\u00a0itself. But I saw an opportunity to\u00a0strengthen my communication skills,\u00a0advocate for\u00a0animal\u00a0agriculture, sharpen my creative skills, and\u00a0earn scholarship\u00a0opportunities\u00a0along the way. I figured, \u201cWhy not?\u201d That simple decision ended up shaping much of my college career.\u00a0<\/p>\n I\u00a0participated\u00a0in College Aggies Online<\/a> during all three years of my undergraduate experience, and each year I walked\u00a0away\u00a0having learned something new. When I first signed up, I honestly\u00a0didn\u2019texpect to win anything. A few weeks into the program, I started questioning whether I should keep putting time and energy into creating content. Was my work good enough? How could it compare to what everyone else was creating? Like many creatives, I found myself battling imposter syndrome.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Then one week, I opened the leaderboard and saw my name. One of my posts had been selected as a Top Five submission.\u00a0Seeing my name on the leaderboard completely changed my perspective.\u00a0<\/p>\n For the first time, I realized\u00a0my work was making an impact.\u00a0That small moment gave me the confidence to keep creating,\u00a0pushing\u00a0myself creatively, and\u00a0experimenting\u00a0with new ways to communicate about\u00a0animal\u00a0agriculture.\u00a0<\/p>\n One of my favorite parts of the program was seeing my content spark conversations beyond agriculture. Friends would tell me they enjoyed taking the weekly quizzes or mention they had learned something surprising, like the science behind methane emissions from cattle.\u00a0Those conversations reminded me that sharing\u00a0accurate, engaging information can make a real difference in helping consumers better understand modern animal agriculture.\u00a0Knowing my work was helping people better understand agriculture made the long hours of content creation worthwhile.\u00a0There were plenty of evenings when I stayed back to finish my weekly submissions instead of\u00a0immediately\u00a0hanging out with friends. They would often ask, \u201cWhy are you spending so much time on this?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n College Aggies Online\u00a0has taught\u00a0me far more than how to create social media posts\u00a0or writing pieces.\u00a0Each weekly challenge required me to brainstorm ideas, manage deadlines, create graphics, write compelling captions, and publish content with minimal direction.\u00a0Along the way, I strengthened my project management, creativity, self-discipline, and\u00a0initiative. Those\u00a0experiences prepared me for my internships far more than I realized at the time. In many of those roles, there\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0a step-by-step instruction manual. Instead, I was expected to\u00a0identify\u00a0opportunities, develop projects, and find creative solutions on my own. College Aggies Online gave me the confidence to do exactly that.\u00a0<\/p>\n Throughout college, I completed multiple internships,\u00a0submitted\u00a0what felt like hundreds of job applications, and\u00a0interviewed\u00a0with\u00a0organizations across the agricultural industry.\u00a0One accomplishment consistently stood out on my resume\u00a0was\u00a0being a College Aggies Online scholarship finalist.\u00a0Nearly every\u00a0interviewer asked about it.\u00a0<\/p>\n Most had never heard of the program, so it became a natural conversation starter. It gave me the opportunity to talk about agricultural advocacy,\u00a0digital communications,\u00a0social media strategy, content creation, and the communication skills I had developed throughout the competition. Rather than simply listing technical skills on my resume, I had real examples and measurable experiences to discuss.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Being named a scholarship finalist for two years also earned me the opportunity to attend the Animal Agriculture Alliance\u2019s annual\u00a0Stakeholders Summit<\/a>.\u00a0It was the first professional conference I attended completely on my own, and I was nervous. I\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0know many people, and I\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0particularly confident in my networking abilities.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Those nerves disappeared quickly.\u00a0The Summit was one of the most welcoming professional events\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0attended. Industry leaders genuinely wanted to meet students, hear our perspectives, and learn about our experiences in College Aggies Online.\u00a0The conference pushed me\u00a0outside\u00a0of\u00a0my comfort zone. I became more confident starting conversations, asking questions, and building professional relationships. It also opened my eyes to the wide range of\u00a0organizations that work together to support animal agriculture and introduced me to many of the issues shaping our industry.\u00a0More importantly, it reinforced the importance of building trust through proactive communication-something that\u00a0remains\u00a0central to the Animal Agriculture Alliance\u2019s\u00a0mission<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Looking back, College Aggies Online gave me so much more than scholarship opportunities.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0It strengthened my confidence as a communicator, challenged me creatively,\u00a0expanded my\u00a0professional\u00a0network,\u00a0and equipped me with the skills that continue to\u00a0benefit\u00a0me in my career today.\u00a0Just as importantly, it showed me that every student\u00a0has the ability to\u00a0become an effective voice for animal agriculture.\u00a0<\/p>\n I still encourage classmates and younger students to\u00a0participate\u00a0because I know firsthand how much the program\u00a0has to\u00a0offer. Whether\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0looking to improve your communication skills, build your resume, advocate for\u00a0animal\u00a0agriculture, or simply challenge yourself creatively, College Aggies Online is an opportunity worth taking.\u00a0<\/p>\n You never know where one\u00a0simple\u00a0\u201cWhy not?\u201d decision might\u00a0lead-but\u00a0I can confidently say mine helped\u00a0shape the career\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0building today.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/animalagalliance.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-10-at-4.01.44-PM-edited-1.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nLooking back, that question made me realize something.\u00a0\u00a0<\/h2>\n
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