It all started with a girl and her dream to go to vet school. For as long as I can remember, that was my dream, or so I thought. I attended the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (Big Orange Country-Go Vols!) where I majored in Animal Science and minored in Theatre.
Professor: “Wait! Did you say Animal Science AND Theatre?!”
Friend: “But Kayela, those have nothing to do with each other!”
Stranger down the road: “How did that work?!”
Me: “Yes! I said Animal Science AND Theatre! Well my friend…it worked because I loved them both, and I was not willing to give up one dream completely for the other.”
Anyway, my intention was to go to vet school. However, at the beginning of my last semester, after I had applied to vet school and everything, I decided that I no longer wanted to go. After four years of not-so easy-classes, what seemed like endless nights, and a lot of thought, I just did not have the drive or the passion to pursue that career anymore. So I was now about to end college where most people start: with no idea what to do. The only things I knew were: 1) I wanted Theatre to stay my minor, 2) I wanted to pursue a career in Agriculture, and 3) I wanted to help others in some way.
I then started thinking about Extension. 4-H had been a huge part of life, and I knew I could take a more agriculture-related path. So I reached out to a multitude of people and discovered that I could do almost anything in this field: when opportunities arise I can travel and help farmers and communities in different countries, I can teach youth about agriculture, and I can still work with local producers and their livestock (especially the cows–they are my favorite). What more could I want? Not long after I started applying for jobs I got a call from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Rensselaer County. They wanted me to come up for an interview, but there was one problem…I was in Hawaii on a family vacation. So I created and recorded my presentation with a cell phone and an iPad at 4 o’clock in the morning…and they still wanted me to come up for an in-person interview.
So here I am, the new 4-H and Agriculture Extension Educator of Rensselear County–basically my dream job right out of College! (Not to mention how close to Broadway I am!) I know I am a long way from home, but I am super excited to be here (we’ll see if I am saying that once winter comes–haha). Anyway, I already have a few projects that I am about to begin such as: Farm Neighborhoods (a series of videos created for people to get to know the farmers in the area), after school programs, and a Family Farm Day. Oh, and how could I forget–THIS BLOG! I will be creating a blog post every two or three weeks on topics that will range from events I’ve attended to interesting or helpful information related to Agriculture. With that being said, I am always open to ideas, so if anyone has any suggestions for programs or blog posts, please do not hesitate to contact me! Also, get in touch if you have any questions related to livestock, and if I do not know the answer I can help point you in the right direction. You can reach my by email, kls342@cornell.edu, or by phone, at (518) 272-4210 ext. 105.
Thank you so much for being so welcoming, and I cannot wait to meet y’all very soon!
-Kayela
