Meet Our Interns!
Thanks to support from the Kentucky Livestock Coalition and the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund, we have hired five education interns that will work to grow agricultural literacy through December 2019 as part of our EngAGe Kentucky program.
Let's meet them:
Michaela Boeglin is a junior at the University of Kentucky studying Agricultural Education and hails from Henderson. Her family raises cattle, horses, chickens and the occasional sheep and hog for their 4-H projects. Growing up, she showed livestock through 4-H and had an active role in her FFA chapter. Some of her favorite activities are spending time with her family, going camping with her five horses, and just being in the outdoors.
"The reason my major is Agricultural Education is because I want the chance to not only be able to shape the minds and ideas of our next generation of politicians, engineers, farmers/ranchers, nursing staff, and doctors," said Michaela, "but I will also be able to help with the current generation’s ideas on agriculture. My love for agriculture is in my blood."
Michaela's career goal is to become an extension educator or go into the classroom to teach.
Katie Crump is also a junior at the University of Kentucky studying Agriculture Education. She grew up on beef cattle farm in Paris, Kentucky, and has been working sheep for the past six years. Katie is currently a member of the UK Livestock Judging Team, Sigma Alpha Professional Agricultural Sorority, and Block and Bridle. Her involvement in 4-H and FFA sparked her passion for agricultural education and youth development, and she hopes to become a high school vocational agriculture teacher upon graduation in the spring of 2020.
Harley Hawkins is a junior at Western Kentucky University studying Agriculture Education. She grew up on her family's farm in Edmonton, where they raise beef cattle, tobacco, hay, corn, and run a commercial greenhouse. Harley enjoys riding and training horses, trap shooting, and was very involved in 4-H and FFA. In fact, she earned her American FFA Degree this past fall.
Education is in Harley's blood, as her mother is a high school English teacher and assists with agriculture and food classes. In addition to attending school at Western, Harley regularly returns to her home county to assist as a substitute teacher in hopes it will prepare her to be a vocational agriculture teacher after she graduates in May 2020.
Abby Lyell is a junior at Murray State University studying Agriculture Education. Her family's farm is in Hickory, where they have the only pure-bred herd of Merino sheep in Kentucky. They also raise Rambouillet and Baby-Doll sheep (all three breeds are wool-type sheep), rabbits, and Charolais and Angus beef cattle. Abby was and is still active in FFA, and most recently assisted at the National FFA Convention with public relations and as an activity's facilitator. In addition to being in the classroom to share her passion for agriculture, Abby is also interested in furthering her education in the agricultural communications field.
Conner Richardson, an Agriculture Education sophomore at the University of Kentucky, did not grow up on the farm in his hometown of Alexandria., but spent many hours helping the friends he made in FFA with their farming operations. Conner was an Kentucky FFA state officer in 2017-2018, serving as Reporter, and currently lives and works at the Locust Trace AgriScience Center in Lexington. He plans on becoming a high school agriculture teacher or achieving any career where he is educating about agriculture and helping individuals reach their fullest potential.
"I saw the impact that my Agriculture teachers had on me, and wanted to provide that to other students," said Conner. "I also firmly believe that our public needs and deserves more education on the field of Agriculture, so I hope to provide that."
EngAGe Kentucky interns are tasked with providing agricultural lessons and presentations in middle and high schools, as well as community events. Anyone interested in requesting a presentation should visit our engAGe Kentucky program page. Availability may be limited depending on school/event location.
Michaela Boeglin and Katie Crump visited the Fayette County Middle Schools FFA to teach about the risks farmers face.
