Meet Student Member: Shane White!
By Ashlyn Rochester, ACN Communications Specialist
As part of the new and incoming student members, sponsored by Filament, we’re highlighting the new members. Shane White is a doctoral student at the University of Arkansas studying Agricultural Communications, where he received his B.A. in Broadcast Journalism and M.A. in Documentary Filmmaking. To get to know him better and understand why his student membership in ACN is important to her, we asked him a few questions.
1. Why are you studying agriculture?
I am studying agriculture because it has been in my blood for generations. I grew up on a farm and I know the important place that agriculture holds across the planet. With my Ph.D. in Agricultural Communications, I am able to pair skills from my Master’s in Documentary Filmmaking and become a storyteller within the world of ag.
2. What position, goal, or outcome do you hope to accomplish with your agriculture degree?
My goal is to remain in academia and teach others the importance of communicating ag to the public. I am also working towards my goal of becoming a National Geographic Explorer so that I’m able to share stories of the environment including those of land stewardship, global farming, and conservation of our natural resources,
3. What do you hope to gain from your student membership to ACN? If it’s something specific, like a mentor or feedback, please be specific and include an email address for members to reach you at.
My goal with the student membership is to stay informed about research being done, gain access to people that have stories that need to be told, and become aware of job postings at hiring universities.
4. As part of the application process, we ask applicants to write a few short paragraphs on the value of joining ACN, and why this would help the applicant in their career.
As a journalist and an Ag Comm Ph.D. student, I have come to understand the importance of creating a network of people with similar passions and career paths. I attended my first National Agricultural Communications Symposium and immediately realized I was meeting people who would be a vital part of my life going forward.
Not only were the people I met a plus but the research that I was able to witness was eye-opening and inspiring. I want more experiences that can provide the same type of opportunities. I don’t want to be in the dark when it comes to potential projects that I could partner with or learn from. My life as a researcher will need these assets to be the best version of myself that I can be.
The ACN would be an incredible opportunity to further add people, knowledge and insight that will allow me to continuously evolve and grow. I would very much love to be a part of this network because not only will I get to be a part of the things mentioned above but I will also be able to share my research and knowledge that might help someone else the same way I have been helped.
Students can apply or be nominated for membership. Please share this with interested students and/or nominate a student today. Thank you, Filament, for investing in the future of Ag Communicators!
The application is available at this link.