WRITING
“The most sustainable impact can be made by small groups of people.” Students with agriculture-based degrees only make up a small percentage of the population, however the impact they can make is astounding. This past week at the Agriculture Future of America Leader’s Conference I was able to learn more about global leadership and systems through a variety of speakers, panels and experiences. My goal for conference this year was to strengthen my past connections and make new ones and I am so blessed to have achieved that. From industry professionals to fellow Sigma Alpha sisters, the connections that I made this year will truly last me a lifetime.
One of my favorite sessions was our Executive Forum on Stewarding Change, where Track 3 delegates were able to speak with professionals in a “speed-dating” format. Through this session, we were able to speak to professionals from various backgrounds about their careers and the change they have seen through COVID-19. Speaking with Dana J. Peterson, Emily Berrier and Jesper D. Nordengaard gave me the opportunity to learn more about mental health in the workplace and how to work with a team during the tough times.
At the end, all the professionals gave us a piece of wisdom they had learned through their careers. As an avid quote lover, I wanted to pass along some of the most impactful ones I heard that I hope resonate with someone else. I can’t wait to attend more Agriculture Future of America events in the future alongside Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences!
“ Look for the ‘and’ over the ‘or’.”
“ Don’t worry about making decisions perfect, make perfect decisions.”
“ Be rigid in your morals and flexible in your learning.”
“ Don’t stress about your first job.”
“ You are in control of your own personal fulfillment.”
#agriculturefutureofamerica #afalc21 #afalc #professionaldevelopment#leadershipquotes #motivationquotes #afatrack3 #agriculturestudents#studentleaders #leadersinagriculture
Though I was relatively new the the organization at this time, I was still able to make meaningful connections with industry professionals as well as fellow brothers and sisters in the agriculture sector. During this experience, I was able to take back what I learned and resent to our executive team a variety of methods to further our reach to those outside of our "ag-campus bubble".
"I recently attended a Leadership Seminar in St Louis with 2 other sisters, and made connections and relationships to carry me through the rest of my life. Sessions centered around learning how to #ownyourworld through speaking with consumers, how to work with people as opposed to over them, embracing our failures and questioning how we can make a difference in our communities. "Action without reflection is pointless" and we won't grow if we don't stop to see how we can learn from each other.
I've learned so much through this sisterhood and community in just a short year and can't wait to see where else I go. If you have questions about Sigma Alpha or agriculture in general reach out to someone!
Founder's Day Script
Founder's Day is the annual banquet of Sigma Alpha to recognize the achievements of members from the past year and honor those graduating involving active members, their families, alumni and special guests.
​
"Good afternoon and welcome to the 43rd annual Sigma Alpha Founders Day celebration. My name is Sarah Hoog and I am serving as the chair for today’s event. While today’s event does look very different than normal, I’d like to thank everyone for being with us today; our sisters, alumni, advisors, and guests. We are here to recognize the effort and dedication of all Sigma Alpha members and those who support us. During the event, I ask you to please keep your cameras turned on if possible and use the reaction buttons and chat box during the presentations and ceremonies.
​
I would like to personally thank the Founder’s Day Committee and those presenting today for their hard work in putting on today’s event! To start our program today, just as we begin every chapter meeting, I would like to invite all of the actives and alumni to join me in saying the Sigma Alpha Purpose, which is located on your screen. “The Objective of this sorority….."
​
I now invite MacKenzie Hoog and Em Wilson for our Active Presentation."
Client Proposal Analysis
In a past Agriculture Communication course, we had a semester long project of selecting a business and redesigning their brand, the first step was to create a client proposal analysis. The following is an excerpt from that.
​
"The 2020 Census for Franklin County, OH reported a population of 1,316,756, but to focus further in on the location of Short North in Columbus, OH was reported as 898,553 people. The population per square mile in Columbus, OH was 3,624.1. 51.1% of the population identified as female, who are the main customers of their stores (based on past experience and social media posts).
​
The most effective marketing efforts would be focused towards TikTok and Instagram according to the target audience. Social media and face-to-face interactions are most likely the way that this audience gets their information and recommendations. The younger desired audience also is more likely to buy stickers so having a simper/scalable logo is important. Figure 1 shows more exact data on this audience."
"My latest National FFA Convention, looking out over the sea of national blue hit me a little harder than it did in past years as I realized it was my last time in the blue jacket. My jacket was one that stood out a bit more as it has been with me from the beginning through crying, laughing, , shivering, sweating, screaming and silence.
I don’t think my parents knew what was going to happen when I asked them to let me take the Intro the Agriculture class because I didn’t want to feel left out from my friends. But as Mrs. Jennings has drilled into me, “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react.”
Though my American Degree Ceremony looked different than I originally thought, I wouldn’t of have wanted to get here any other way. Thank you to everyone who has had an impact on me through this journey and I'm so eager to share this passion with others.
#foreverblue #americanffadegree #americandegree #bleedblueandgold #blueandgoldtoscarletandgray"
Stakeholder Engagement
Mentor A(g) Classroom is a program I have helped to start that focuses on using key community members and businesses as mentors in middle and high school classrooms. Below is an initial communication through email that has led to a successful integration of Ohio Poultry into the program. Names have been changed to protect privacy.
Hi Samantha:
I wanted to reach out after talking with you at the Dayton location of the Inspire to Hire event about getting some members of Ohio Poultry or any poultry farmers you know that may be interested in speaking to a classroom. I CC'd my supervisor Ellen on this email who is out on vacation so you will receive a "out of office reply" just as a heads up.
We briefly spoke about this, but I wanted to gauge your interest in working with Junior Achievement on a new in-classroom mentor series. The goal is to help students learn about potential careers within the agriculture industry by having a mentor speak on their experiences, along with answering any questions they have. This would include sharing with students about your job such as how you got there, why you enjoy your career and why you think a career in agriculture is important. The time commitment would be going into a classroom once-a maximum of two visits-in the area of Northeast Ohio for roughly 1 hour. We’ve already had schools in Cuyahoga Falls, West Holmes and Canton areas reach out to see when speakers could come share with their students. The age ranges are 7th to 12th grade students, with a mix of rural and urban backgrounds.
I personally think this is a great way to help mentor students about possible opportunities within agriculture without having to commit too much time. If you’re interested in learning more about this, please feel free to reach out with any questions for further details or to schedule a time to meet with myself or my supervisor, Ellen Smith. I have CC’d her on this email and placed her contact information below. Thanks for taking the time to consider this mentorship opportunity and I look forward to hearing from you!