By Courtney Leeper Girgis, Future Ag Communicators Committee Chair
The Future Ag Communicators Committee is excited to announce this year’s two Ag Communicators Network scholarship recipients: Kesley Holdgrafer and Jackie Miller, both agricultural communications seniors at Iowa State University.
Holdgrafer and Miller will interview in-person at the Ag Media Summit in Kansas City for the top scholarship named in honor by Dr. James Evans ($3,000) and made possible by an endowment from ACN member Lyle E. Orwig. The runner-up will receive the Past Presidents’ Scholarship ($1,500), which is made possible through donations to the ACN Professional Improvement Foundation.
We look forward to getting to know these two students more at AMS. In the meantime, we’ve asked them a few questions as a way of introduction.
Kesley Holdgrafer
Hometown: Bryant, Iowa
College: Iowa State University
Double Major: Agricultural Communications and Public Relations
Expected Graduation: May 2025
What are your summer plans?
This summer, I’m excited to join Vermeer Corporation as a Forage Product Marketing Intern. My role involves engaging in a variety of marketing activities and event planning. I’ll be working closely with the forage brand experience team to develop and implement campaigns that highlight our forage products. This includes but is not limited to creating promotional materials, supporting event logistics, and engaging with dealers, customers, and the press.
I am looking forward to contributing to Vermeer Corporation’s goals while gaining insights into the forage industry and refining my marketing expertise. Growing up, my summers were always surrounded by hay season, actively involved in our family’s custom baling business. Even though this summer will look a little different than my summers spent in a tractor baling hay, I am thrilled to channel my passion for forage into this exciting internship!
What are your career goals?
Agriculture is my whole life. It is all I have ever known. Living on our cattle, corn, soybean and hay farm has taught me countless life lessons. One thing I was always told was if you wanted to know just how hard a farmer works, look at their hands.
When I look at my dad’s hands there is a lot to see. For starters, they are usually covered in something, whether it’s dirt from the fields, grease from equipment, corn dust from checking the bins, or possibly even manure from working cattle. However, when I look at his hands, I do not see rough, cracked and calloused hands. I see a story.
My dad’s hands are the first to feel the heart of a newborn calf. His hands freeze multiple times year after year from cruel winters as he breaks ice from frozen waters so his livestock can drink. They grip tractor steering wheels for hours as he makes countless trips across fields. His hands are not only working hard on the farm. Those same exact hands have held and raised his four kids. Those hands are the ones first in line to give me a high five and hug after each one of my accomplishments. Those hands give and give and give. They work tirelessly to not only feed our family, but they also help feed the world. A lot can be told by a farmer’s hands. It is my goal in life to tell that story.
As an agricultural communications and public relations major at Iowa State, I am making it my mission in future endeavors to advocate for this extraordinary industry. I want to share with the world the amazing story of the American farmer. I do not know where I will end up or what my exact title will be for my future career or what organization or company I will work for, but one thing I do know is that my main career goal will always be to always be a strong and passionate advocate and communicator for the agriculture industry.
What does it mean to you to be a scholarship finalist?
Receiving this scholarship is an immense honor for me. It signifies recognition of my dedication and hard work in the field of agricultural communications, an area I am deeply passionate about. This scholarship not only acknowledges my academic achievements and leadership roles but also validates my commitment to making a positive impact in the agricultural community. However, it also pushes me to want to do more.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Feel free to check out my website to learn more! It is http://www.kesleyholdgrafer.com/
Jackie Miller
Hometown: Maquoketa, Iowa
College: Iowa State University
Major: Agricultural Communications
Expected Graduation: December 2024
What are your summer plans?
This summer I am serving as a U.S. Farm Animal Retail Sales intern for Elanco Animal Health in Columbia, Missouri.
What are your career goals?
Upon graduation in December, I plan to begin my Master’s in International Agriculture at Oklahoma State University. Through this experience, I will have the opportunity to study abroad. Long-term, I desire to pursue a career for a larger company within marketing, sales, and international public relations.
What does it mean to you to be a scholarship finalist?
I am blessed to be recognized for my experience in the agricultural communications and marketing industry by such a core organization, like Agricultural Communicators Network. My personal and professional experiences in the agricultural communications industry have made an instrumental impact on me. This opportunity of being honored by ACN is so special. To my industry connections, mentors, and dear friends within agricultural communications, thank you for motivating and inspiring me to become my best.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
This past school year, I participated in the Iowa State University National Student Exchange Program (NSE) at Oklahoma State University. Through this opportunity, I was able to experience OSU’s agricultural communication program. It is pretty special to say I have such an appreciation for two gracious communities at two universities.