Hometown: Tappahannock, Va. I lived all over the place growing up, moving from Iowa, all around Virginia and also abroad (Paris and Nottingham, England). I spent two years in South Carolina and then moved to Gainesville, Fla., to go to UF. I claim Tappahannock, where I went to high school.
Favorite part of ag or natural resources: The people. I fell in love with the agricultural community in high school, where I was surrounded by a bunch of wheat, soybean and corn production. I just love the atmosphere and the people that are so passionate about what they do
Expected degree/graduation date: Master’s in Agricultural Communication, May 2014.
Completed degrees: Bachelor’s in Animal Sciences with minors in Management and Sales in Agribusiness and Agricultural Communication, University of Florida, December 2011.
Time with the PIE Center: I began writing articles and assisting on research for the PIE Center in February.
PIE Center projects: My master’s project is to develop a new campaign for the agriculture specialty license plate, or “Ag Tag,” for Florida’s Agriculture in the Classroom. This campaign will be developed from research-based recommendations that will come from focus groups and interviews the PIE Center is currently conducting. I also worked on the Gulf Safe branding & message testing focus groups, and helped develop the script for the PIE Center’s messaging toolkit. In addition, I have been writing online articles about the water and immigration public opinion surveys, as well as several articles in the current newsletter.
Goals after graduation: I would really like to work in public relations to increase awareness of different agricultural issues happening around the United States.
Hidden talent: I have been riding horses for my entire life. I competed in dressage before starting graduate school, but now I don’t have too much time on my hands.
Favorite food: Seafood! I love to fish. I would rather be on the boat than anywhere else, and I love to cook what I catch.
Best superpower: I wish I could fly!
Favorite animal: My 11-week old puppy, Zoey.
