Name:  Jamie Schechinger

Hometown:  Westphalia, Iowa

Major and Graduation Date:  Agricultural Studies, Minors in Agronomy and Business, May 2020 

Favorite ISU class:  Econ 336 (Sales) with Dr. Ron Deiter 

Job Title & Company: – Sales Agronomist, Yara North America 

Major Job/Position Responsibilities:  Yara is one of the top fertilizer manufacturers in the world. They lead the world in crop nutrition and work towards a nature positive food future every day.

Name:  Rachel Zumbach

Hometown:  Coggon, Iowa

Major and Graduation Date:  Agricultural and Life Sciences Education – Communications Option & International Agriculture, May 2021

Favorite ISU Class:  My favorite class at Iowa State was Leadership Styles and Strategies in a Diverse Society (LD ST 322) with Dr. Tara Widner.  This class taught me a lot about myself and the ins and outs of working with others from all backgrounds who may have differing perspectives on life and work.  It allowed me to really dive into the ethics of leadership and what that looks like for different cultures and people across the globe.

Job Title & Company:  Public Relations Manager, Iowa Corn

Name:  Reid and Reese Drenth

Hometown:  Decorah, Iowa

Major and Graduation Date:  Agricultural Business, May 2019

Favorite ISU Class:

Reese: My favorite class at Iowa State was Economics of Discrimination taught by Dr. Peter Orazem. From the job market to the marriage market, Dr. Orazem provided an insightful and entertaining look into how discrimination impacts market participants all around the world.

Name:  Claire Dupuis

Hometown:  Ames, Iowa

Major and Graduation Date:  Agriculture & Society and English, May 2020

Favorite ISU class:  Women in Agriculture and the Food System, taught by Dr. Carmen Bain, was a favorite class of mine. Dr. Bain is an enthusiastic professor who shares a wealth of knowledge from her research in the areas of agriculture, food systems, and gender.  I found the guest speakers, presentations, and class discussions to be very engaging.  Taking this course led to the valuable opportunity for me to work as a TA for Dr. Bain the following year.

Name: Erin Healy

Hometown:  West Des Moines, Iowa

Major and Graduation Date:  Microbiology, Spring 2019

Favorite ISU class:  My favorite class at ISU was Marching Band (MUSIC 114A). Although it was more than just a class and was a lot of work, my experience at Iowa State would not have been the same without it.  Practice was Monday-Friday for 1.5 hours, along with individual practice, and football games. Game Day was always my favorite day of the week, getting to perform on the field and in the stands with 61,000 of my closest friends.  My favorite Microbiology class was Food Microbiology (MICRO 420) because of how applicable it was to everyday life.  We learned about many potential foodborne pathogens and how to prevent them.  

Name:  Matthew Hart

Hometown:  Carol Stream, Illinois

Major and Graduation Date:  Industrial Technology Option: Manufacturing with a minor in Business, Fall 2019

Favorite ISU class:  TSM 240: Introduction to Advanced Manufacturing and Metals Processing.  I enjoyed studying several types of manufacturing processes and being able to operate metal lathe machines in the lab.  During the semester, our class had the opportunity to attend the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) in Chicago which is a trade show showing off all the latest technology in the manufacturing industry.  This showed me the endless possibilities of what the industry offers and how fast changing it is.

Name:  Jacob Lehmkuhl

Hometown:  Clinton, Iowa

Major and Graduation Date:  Horticulture, August 2018

Favorite ISU Class:  I really enjoyed the Horticulture classes that incorporated hands-on learning in the field.  Being able to step outside the classroom and implement the curriculum in the landscape helped shape my skills and knowledge to be applied in future applications.  From identifying plants, to diagnosing pests, designing new landscapes, assessing construction projects, testing equipment, or researching new technologies, there was always something different and exciting to learn.

Job Title & Employer:  Horticulturist of Landscape Development, Augusta National Golf Club

Name: Caryn Dawson

Hometown: Manson, IA

Major and graduation date: Global Resource Systems and Horticulture (Minors: Animal Science, Spanish), May 2021

Name:  Emily Franciskato

Hometown:  Lee’s Summit, MO

Major and graduation date:  Genetics, minor in Psychology, May 2020

Favorite ISU class:  My favorite class at ISU was Genetics 409 with Dr. Rodermel.  It was a small class with great discussion about genetics topics ranging from early beliefs about inheritance to testing technologies we use today. The genetics courses at Iowa State set me up for success for my didactic training in my genetic counseling graduate program.

Job Title & Company:  Reproductive Genetic Counselor and Assistant in Obstetrics and Gynecology in the Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Name:  Michael Parker

Hometown:  Dike, IA

Major and Graduation Date:  Forestry, December 2018

Favorite ISU Class:  While not a single class, I would say the 200 series during my sophomore year.  The 200 series is an entire semester of classes that all 2nd-year forestry students take during the fall.  It creates a sound foundation of forestry knowledge and skills that help prepare you moving forward with your education and career.  The series includes a three-week field course located in a varying region of the country each year—my class went to the Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center near Andalusia, Alabama.

Job Title & Company:  Smokejumper, United States Forest Service

Name:  Sonia Carrola

Hometown:   Madison, WI

Major and Graduation Date: Food Science, May 2019

Favorite ISU class:  FSHN 411: Food Ingredient Interactions and Formulations.  I enjoyed learning about the functions specific ingredients have in finished product applications.  These concepts were demonstrated by making food products with slightly different formulations and comparing the differences between the final products.  I really liked that this class was highly applied.

Job Title & Company:  Product Development Technologist at Wells Enterprises.  Wells Enterprises is an ice cream and frozen desserts producer, maker of Blue Bunny, Halo Top, Bomb Pop, Blue Ribbon Classics and more.

Name:  Theresa Brehm

Hometown:  Durango, IA

Major and Graduation Date:  Global Resource Systems and Environmental Science, with a minor in Agronomy, May 2020

Favorite ISU class:  AGRON 497: Agroecology Field Course.  I loved getting to visit so many different agricultural areas in Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota.  I learned directly from farmers how they are implementing different conservation practices and dedicating themselves and their families to working with the natural environment, rather than against it, to build a better agricultural future for the world.

Name:  Alyssa Dougherty

Hometown:  Epworth, IA

Major and Graduation Date:  Dietetics and Global Resource Systems, May 2020

Favorite ISU class:  My favorite ISU class was Globe 321 with Catherine Swoboda and Shelley Taylor.  My classmates and I had just returned from our summer-long international internships, and everyone had a unique learning experience from a different corner of the world to share.  I enjoyed learning from them and reflecting more upon my own personal growth from a 9-week internship in India with the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition.

Name:  Kendra Spier

Hometown:  Cambridge, WI

Major and Graduation Date:  Dairy Science and Global Resource Systems; Fall 2020

Favorite ISU class:  AnS 337 Lactation

Job Title & Company:  Global Development Education Coordinator for URUS

Name: Jared Diehl

Hometown: Dayton, VA

Major and Graduation Date: Culinary Food Science, Spring 2018

Favorite ISU Class:  I really enjoyed our Food Product Development Class.  Since I wanted to pursue a career in food product development this class made me really excited to graduate and pursue a career in research and development.  Learning how to produce a food product from Ideation to Commercialization was very interesting and helped to strengthen my love for food and food product development.

Job title and Company:  Innovation and Design Lead, Buddy’s Kitchen

Name:  Emma Troyer

Hometown:  Kalona, IA

Major and Graduation Date: Biology: May, 2020

Favorite ISU Class:  Molecular and Cellular Biology of Human Diseases (BIOL 328).  This class really showed me how much I enjoy learning about diseases of the human body that would be actually taught to me again in medical school!  I believe this was the first class that I took that was specific toward humans which was awesome.  It was a very exciting and well taught class.

Job Title and company: Second-year Medical Student at A.T. Still University, Kirksville College of Medicine

Name:  Sarah Heiller

Hometown:  Boone, IA

Major(s) and graduation date Animal Science and Spanish, May 2020

Favorite ISU class? AN S 214L, Domestic Animal Anatomy and Physiology Lab.  I am a visual learner, so the weekly dissections in this class helped me visualize everything I was learning in my other animal science classes.  Seeing the anatomy while we learned about physiology made the science feel real; it was no longer just concepts I memorized out of a textbook.

Job Title & Company: Spanish Field Liaison, Partners for Production Agriculture

Name:  Lauren Mellenthin

Hometown:  Naperville, Illinois (IL)

Major and graduation date:  Animal Ecology, with minor in Environmental Studies, May 2019

Favorite ISU class:  Vertebrate Biology (Biol 365/A Ecl 365) taught by Dr. Dean Adams was my favorite class.  I was able to view animal biology from a new perspective of evolution, which turned everything I thought I knew about animal biology on its head.  Another one of my favorite aspects of the class was how enthusiastic Dr. Adams was in teaching the material and engaging with students.  This inspired me to continue learning beyond this class and in my current research!

Name: .Elizabeth Christenson

Hometown:  Sheboygan Falls, WI

Major and Graduation Date:  Agronomy & Animal Science, May 2018

Favorite ISU class:   Agronomy 392 was my favorite class because I was able to take all of the knowledge, information, and skills learned over the first 3.5 years of college and apply it to actual farm scenarios.  Another one of my favorite parts of the class was learning in depth about all of the nutrient cycles on the farm. I also enjoyed developing critical thinking skills directly related to on farm scenarios during the course. 

Job Title & Company:  1.  Root of Grace Farm - Co-Owner; 2.  Redeemed Financial Coaching – Personal Financial Coach

Name: Kyle Lafrenz

Hometown: Durant, IA

Major and Graduation Date: Agricultural Systems Technology; Minor: Agronomy; May 2019

Favorite ISU Class: TSM 433 – Precision Ag. This class was a lot of fun for me as I was a part-time student worker for John Deere at the time.  I was making How-To videos for their precision ag equipment (in-cab displays, GPS receivers, AutoTrac™ technology, etc.).  I carried so much value from this class into my day-to-day duties.

Job Title & Company: Aftermarket Services Rep for John Deere Company