The Dirt: Recent Episodes
Justin Beckner
Get The Dirt with Justin Beckner every Tuesday! From Wilmington College and the students that are making memories of a lifetime to the agriculture industry and the young leaders that are changing tomorrow, we get the dirt on all genuine topics. Check in every week to catch a new story and take on hot topics.
Noah Smith leads our next convorsation about leadership. Noah Smith is navigating his last college years through the lens of serving others and spreading kindness through God’s word. He is heavily involved in the agricultural business sector with experiences in trade, policy, and strategic communications. Noah is from a small town in south-central Ohio and accredits his success to the values his community instilled in him from a young age.
Lets take a look at our next senior! Carley Asher is a current student majoring in Agriculture Business at Wilmington College. Throughout her time at Wilmington College she has actively been involved with Sigma Alpha Sorority - Gamma Alpha Chapter, Wilmington College Aggies & Collegiate 4-H serving as the President, and Delta Tau Alpha serving as the Vice-President. All while being employed by Bane-Welker Equipment as a Sales Representative at the Wilmington, Ohio location. Upon graduation in May 2022, Carley will be joining the Bane-Welker team full-time as the Sales Process Specialist.
We dive into leadership with Mackenzie Hoog and her experiences in leadership roles. Mackenzie Hoog is a second year Agricultural Communications major at the The Ohio State University. She is originally from Farmersville, Ohio where she grew up on a small farm and later went to Valley View High School. Leadership to Mackenzie has been a desire since she was in second grade and saw an older teammate on her competitive cheer team step up and guide the team throughout the season. However, once she got to middle school and high school she started to transform that desire into action and cultivated herself into a leader throughout her many endeavors. Whether this was being captain of her team, president of her class, apart of the FFA and serving at the state level as an Ohio FFA State Reporter or the Ohio Fair’s Queen to being an RA and peer mentor in college and an officer of her sorority, Mackenzie valued leaders and the way of leadership. She is very excited to share her insights and thoughts about it and hopes that you too find yourself realizing the potential of you being a leader and ways to adhere it to your own path. Leadership is attainable for all and can be seen in the humble actions of everyday life. She encourages you to take a peek at her lens to hopefully broaden and deepen your own at the end of this chat.
The second Senior Send Off is a captivating one! Our guest, Caroline Liggett hailing from Johnstown, Ohio is a third-year senior, majoring in a self-designed major, titled Agribusiness and Policy. On campus, she has been involved in Aggies and Collegiate 4-H, Sigma Alpha Professional Agriculture Sorority, Agronomy Club, the Honors Program, Women in Agriculture committee, Delta Tau Alpha Agriculture Honors Society, Volleyball, the Office of Admission Student Ambassador Program, and the Student Resource Center. She's had numerous opportunities on and off campus to travel, experience unique opportunities, and continue to learn and grow as young professional in agriculture. Following graduation in May, she will be moving to Central Iowa to begin her career with WinField United in agronomy and sustainability research.
As we start the first episode of the Senior Send Off, Chyann Kendel leads into her journey at Wilmington College. Chyann Kendel is a current student majoring in Agricultural Education with a concentration in Animal Science at Wilmington College. Chyann will be student teaching at Fairfield Local this spring. Upon completion of her Bachelors of Science, Chyann hopes to begin her career as an agricultural educator. Her interest for this career pathway is supported by her previous involvement in 4-H, FFA, and exhibition of small animals at the Preble County Fair. Throughout her time in these she developed strong skills and interest in leadership, public speaking, community service, and personal growth. Chyann has served as an Ohio FFA State Officer. In this role she visited FFA chapters across the state of Ohio and facilitated workshops, created connections for her future career, and built relationships with student members. Chyann is serving as a 2021-2022 National Teach Ag Ambassador.