By Courtney Girgis, Future Ag Communicators Committee
2024 ACT Vice President
The most wonderful time of the year — Ag Media Summit — is coming soon. It is almost like Christmas for us in agricultural communications. No matter where the Summit is held, it feels like returning home to see old friends and make new ones among good company. Regardless of our individual work, we are bound by the merriment of telling farmers’ stories.
Also like Christmas, our AMS festivities would not be complete without the youngest of us. The Ag Communicators of Tomorrow represent our future with their energy and excitement. They already do good work in their college courses and at internships, and they are eager to do more. Perhaps as your next intern or employee.
Below are some thoughts for connecting with students in Arkansas later this month based on insight from ACN student member Jenna Fiscus and updates from the Future Ag Communicators Committee.
- Don’t be afraid to take the first step.
Let’s be honest, Ag Media Summit, while wonderful, can be intimidating, even for professionals. Or at least it can be for me and, according to Jenna Fiscus, an Ag Communicators Network student member and the 2024-2025 National Ag Communicators of Tomorrow (ACT) Vice President, for students.
Fiscus shared recently that some professionals have told her they are more reserved in approaching students involved in their laptops or phones because they think these students are busy.
“That occasionally makes me laugh because 80% of the time you see a young person looking at their phone in a professional setting, they are trying to look occupied and not anxious or confused about what to do next,” Fiscus says.
There’s something to be said about becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable, and the Future Ag Communicators Committee facilitates opportunities to grow students’ confidence, through scholarships and, new this year, a mentorship opportunity for ACN student members at AMS. However, don’t underestimate the power you have to make a student feel welcomed by initiating conversation.
2. Start with the basics.
Instead of leading with an internship opportunity your company offers, get to know the student. Where are they from? What are they interested in? What is their dream job? Then make them aware of internship opportunities and, to take it a step further, offer to introduce them to someone you know who has overlapping interests, whether in-person at AMS or via LinkedIn later.
“As a student, it means a lot to me when professionals approach me and care about my interests and goals pertaining to my career or profession,” Fiscus says.
Following up with an invitation to connect through LinkedIn can also encourage a student, she adds.
3. Share your experiences.
The Future Ag Communicators Committee has been collecting topics on which students would like to learn from professional members. These vary based on individual student interest, and some questions are ones professionals often have as well, like how to find a good story and gather information.
Students also want to know things you might take for granted. What is the “lay of the land,” so to speak, of the ag communications industry? How are ag publications organized? How do you choose which ag comm pathway to choose? How can you set yourself up for success in early career and beyond?
Fiscus says she’d like to know how professionals build in margin: “In our culture, there is a lot of pressure to just achieve constantly and stay busy, but I would love to hear a professional’s perspective on having some down-time for personal pursuits.”
If you find yourself in a conversation with a student, ask them what questions are pressing on their minds. What most concerns them about starting their career? Is there anything they wish they knew about the industry or about life after college?
Be willing to share your experience, and take advantage of theirs as well. What is new and interesting you’re learning in class? What do you think of AI?
4. Guide them back to Ag Communicators Network.
Make sure they are aware of the opportunities they have through ACN.
These include:
- ACN Student Membership – Thanks to a sponsorship from Alltech, we have 50 student memberships available at no cost to students. We have special student-member-only plans in the works that will give ACN student members greater access to professionals and career development advice, so we highly encourage students to take advantage! One program we are trialing this year is a mentorship program exclusively for ACN student members at AMS. We have six students signed up who we have matched with professionals committed to connecting with them throughout the Summit.
- Scholarships – Tell them to watch the ACN website for applications to open early in the spring semester.
- ACN Speakers Bureau Listing – If they (or their college instructors) are looking for a guest speaker in a class or at an ACT chapter meeting, they can find one on the list. If you would like to sign up as a professional willing to speak and/or otherwise connect with ag comm students, please add your name to the list.
- Additional opportunities will be publicized through ACN’s website and social media channels as well through National ACT’s newsletter and social media.
You can also always guide them back to Chelsea Dinterman and myself, co-chairs of the Future Ag Communicators Committee. We would be happy to get them plugged in.
I hope you’ll have the chance to make a meaningful connection with at least one student this year. Networking with them reminds us of why we became ag communicators ourselves, and it is an investment in developing the future of our industry.
As always, if you have thoughts that can help shape our programs for students (how can we help prepare them for success in the workplace?), please feel free to contact me, cllgirgis@gmail.com, and Chelsea Dinterman, chelsea.dinterman@agriculture.com. – Girgis owns Rooted, a freelance communications business
Jenna Fiscus