Rachel Stoltzfus

When society defines success, it often projects images like business professionals, political leaders, or glorified scientists. In the same way, when an established or successful individual poses the question of what you want to do in the future to a student like myself, I am often intimidated to give the most advanced answer possible. To present myself as knowing exactly what I want and how I am going to get there. Yet, everyone starts from scratch. And while many who have achieved worldly success often forget that, I try not to get caught on sounding advanced when I get this question from them. To be honest, I see myself in many different occupations. While I have no doubt that I want to remain working in the agricultural industry that shaped me into who I am, I have interests and passions in livestock production, crop and plant sciences, agricultural technology, and international export markets. To be more specific, I strive to be employed in the beef cattle industry. One of my biggest passions is herd health and growth and this is something that I learned most about from my parents and by raising livestock for shows. In addition, I would like to stay involved with international agriculture, as I have found a strong interest in how countries must communicate. With expectations to attaining a minor in Ag Systems Management, I also would like to tie the mechanical aspects of agriculture into my future career. My dad is self-employed in welding and equipment repair and I have learned the basics of welding and equipment/vehicle mechanics from him. I love learning by doing and trying new things that are out of my comfort zone. I want to bridge the gap between the industry and its consumers and find ways to grow double the crops on half the land while keeping the product safe and well perceived. In addition to consumer connections, I want to boost the agricultural influence in government and make it stronger. Traveling the world has always been one of my biggest dreams, and I plan on doing just that at some point in my future. I desire to make a name for myself, that people would see me as an established producer that knowns the value of hard work and doing a job well done. This summer, I will be interning on a Nebraska ranch. I believe this experience will give me more insight into the cattle industry and how different regions in the U.S. have different challenges and must deal with them using different resources.

So, while I cannot give a specific career goal, I can give an idea of some of my life goals. My parents implanted a deep faith in Jesus in my four siblings and I. They taught us to lay all our concerns before the Lord and be like Him in every situation, no matter how hard. To have their kind of commitment and hard-working dedication is my ultimate goal. I am on the search for something true, that I can pour my heart into and truly be passionate about giving my best.