- Graduation Year: May 2014
- Major: Agricultural Communication
- Minor: Leadership Studies
- Hometown: Marine, IL
- Hobbies: Reading, painting, horse back riding, line dancing and two stepping and hanging out with friends.
Campus Activities:
- Illini Agriculture Communicators of Tomorrow (ACT)
- Sigma Alpha, Professional Agriculture Sorority
- Post-secondary Agriculture Students (PAS)
- Collegiate FFA
- Collegiate Farm Bureau
Internship | Intern Farm Broadcaster at WYXY Classic 99.1fm
What were your duties?
I recorded Chicago Board of Trade markets, weather and interviews news and facilitated market chats. I produced and ran on-sight reports from the WYXY Classic booth at fairs and agriculture shows such as: county fairs, Illinois State Fair, Illinois FFA Convention, Farm Progress Show, National FFA, National Association of Farm Broadcasting. I used computer programs such as Adobe, Drop Box and Microsoft Outlook to create daily content. I operated studio equipment with an estimated value between 600 to 700 thousand dollars.
What did you most enjoy about your internship?
I really enjoyed learning more about the field of communications and agriculture. I was able to meet some really interesting people while doing interviews. It’s so amazing to see how we are all connected through agriculture.
What was the most difficult aspect of the internship?
The hardest thing for me was to learn how to give the markets. We had three market updates, three market chats and a market summary of the day. I had to learn how to read the markets and be able to record them, as they were trading live during the day. I then had to have a sense of why they were changing and what could cause the change to be able to discuss the markets with professionals, such as Bunge Milling (the largest dry corn miller in the world!).
How has your internship prepared you for a career?
Through this internship, I found my love for Farm Broadcasting. I was able to apply for several positions and get several offers. I had several different stations interested because I had so much on air experience. I accepted a job as Assistant Farm Broadcaster for the Wisconsin Farm Report.
What recommendations do you have for other students about doing an internship?
I was able to gain so much on air experience because I took the initiative to learn as much as I could. I always wanted to learn more about the markets and the industry. I took the initiative to do as many programs as I could too. This is what gave me an edge against other college graduates.