By Chelsea Dinterman, ACN Board of Director member
I don’t remember when I first heard Kenya would be hosting the 2025 IFAJ Congress, but I do remember thinking, “well, I have to be there.” So, when I was selected as an Alltech Young Leader, I thought I knew what I was getting into. Long days, late nights and ag tours unlike anything I’d see in the U.S..
But I wasn’t expecting the friendships I’d make along the way. Sure, everyone told me that Congress was like Ag Media Summit on steroids. As a natural introvert who genuinely hates most scheduled networking, I wasn’t convinced.
Enter Luiza.
A fellow Young Leader from Brazil, she landed in Kenya at 3:30 a.m., checked into her hotel room, and promptly joined me and two other Americans at 6:30 a.m. for a day of tours.
She was fun. She was curious. She fit right in with our group. She was doing it all in her second language on next to no sleep. And suddenly, I wasn’t so nervous about the week ahead.
I could tell you all about the young leaders’ tours. About the research center, where we learned about the challenges Kenyan farmers face. Or about the fields that went for miles, filled with tea plants up to our chins. Or maybe you’d like to hear about the chicken facility that let us walk right into the barn, pick up eggs, and pose with the workers (biosecurity, who?).
Don’t get me wrong. All those experiences were incredible. But it was the little moments of connection that really made the Young Leaders program special. When I think about my time in Kenya, I think about Ben (U.K.) doing podcast interviews on the bus in between tours. I think about giggling with Aijan (Kazakhstan and Turkey) about how she once found herself at a Hillary Clinton rally while living in the States. I think about dancing with the group during the most overstimulating dinner I have ever experienced. I think about Rodrigo (Argentina) being genuinely bewildered that we had completely depleted the hotel’s supply of red wine by the final night. I think about the evenings we spent, talking about our careers, goals and future plans to visit each other.
Reunited
When I got approval to go to the IFAJ mid-year meeting in Brazil last month, I didn’t think twice before texting Luiza.
“Would you have any free time if I came a day early?” I asked.
“Of course! Don’t get a hotel. You can stay at my house,” she responded.
Only once, about a week before the trip, did I think about how weird our reunion had the potential to be. It had been five months, most of our communication since IFAJ Congress had been liking each other’s Instagram stories, and we didn’t even speak the same language. Honestly, I felt a little rude showing up and expecting her to speak English in her home.
Luckily, it wasn’t weird at all. It was magical. We toured all over São Paulo, ate the best food (I’m still dreaming about the Bobó de Camarão), and spent an evening on her couch watching Aquamarine. It felt like the type of girlhood that inspired the Barbie movie.
Apply to be an IFAJ Young Leader
I am incredibly grateful to ACN, IFAJ, and Alltech for selecting me to be a young leader. The connections I made (both with my cohort and other Congress attendees) and the experiences I had will inspire me throughout my career.
I highly encourage my fellow ag communicators to apply to the Young Leader program. The program is open to professionals who are no older than 35. Learn more here.
– Dinterman is agronomy and livestock editor at Successful Farming. Thank you to ACN Professional Development Foundation and Alltech for their support of this program.
