AgCareers.com believes that students have numerous opportunities to build powerful career portfolios throughout their higher education experiences. One of these opportunities is studying abroad.
Robby Manning, student at North Carolina State, traveled to Australia in 2007. She said that before her trip she was aware of agriculture practices in her own state, “but was unaware of the perception of the same crops and livestock in other countries.” The experience helped her think outside her traditional views of agriculture to understand how different cultures have different approaches to managing and marketing similar commodities. This is a valuable skill she can apply in a future career.
While Manning enjoyed her study abroad trip she pointed out that, “cost is the number one barrier her peers face when deciding to pursue a study abroad program.” To help offset these financial constraints, AgCareers.com has developed the Agribusiness Beyond the Borders Scholarship program.
The program will provide three $1,000 scholarships for students currently studying in North America who are embarking on a study abroad experience. One scholarship will be awarded to a student each term (fall, spring and summer) to be used for their study abroad trip the following term.
“As we see our population growing larger, more and more companies are looking beyond our borders for resources to grow and produce food, fiber, and fuel,” said Eric Spell, president of AgCareers.com. “This adds to the need for graduates who have first-hand knowledge of agricultural practices abroad, as agribusiness can be easily observed at various levels in all countries. We see this scholarship program as our opportunity to encourage more students interested in agriculture to study abroad.”