Name: Hannah Pagel
Hometown: Sumner, IA
Major and Graduation Date: Agriculture and Life Sciences Education with Biology endorsement, December 2018
Favorite ISU Class: Hort 131--Floral Design and Agriculture Entrepreneurship Initiative’s CRISPR travel course
Job Title & Employer: Associate Editor for Agri-Pulse Communications in Washington, DC
Major Job/Position Responsibilities: I write the weekly Farm Hands on the Potomac section of our newsletter, which covers job changes, promotions, and retirements in the DC and agriculture industry.
I write in-depth stories for our online website and cover the portfolio for sustainability, climate, soil health, aquaculture, mental health, rural hospitals and healthcare, the opioid epidemic, and rural drug use/trafficking.
Conduct and edit the Meet the Farm Hands video segment. This is a 15-20 min interview with someone in the agriculture industry that has had a lot of experience and behind the scenes work with writing or lobbying agriculture policy.
Design graphics and charts to be used as visual aids in stories
Schedule and promote all of Agri-Pulse’s stories through various social media channels
What you like most about your job/position? I love the team that I get to work with every day, the variety of work I get to do, and the opportunity to learn about various topics from the best sources around the country. I have always been a student that asked a lot of questions, and I learned best when I could have one-on-one conversations with professors or experts to truly understand the material at hand. I knew I wanted to help others learn in the line of work I did, that was a big reason why I chose Agriculture Education as my major—but journalism allowed me to not only educate others on certain topics but remain a student and learner myself. As a journalist I get to pick a certain topic, go out and find the best sources to explain that topic, and then write a story from the discoveries I learned and share that with our audience. The best part is I am not confined to a certain area or topic, I mean besides agriculture of course, but there is so much that falls under the agriculture umbrella. I am also not confined to writing; I can make videos or I could speak on a podcast. There are different ways to deliver the information you have with your audience in journalism.
My coworkers have been amazing at helping me learn the ropes of journalism. Each one comes from a different background and they all have a different story about how they got into journalism, which has been neat to gain each one’s perspective of the agriculture industry. One of the biggest lessons I have learned from my coworkers is making sure you get all perspectives on an issue and to not be afraid of questioning beyond surface level. It’s our job to get to the root of why a decision is made and share that information with our readers.
What advice would you give to current students pursuing a career in Agriculture and Life Sciences? Don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone and have a conversation with someone. In today’s society, we basically have the world right at our fingertips with our smart phones. But sometimes we can get so wrapped up in the world through our phone that we forget to look up and experience the world around us. This is where having conversations comes into play, they help bring us back to the present moment. Having an education and gaining knowledge is important, gaining experience and applying for internships is also important to your future career, but don’t forget the basics of striking up a conversation and networking with people in and outside the agriculture community. Have a conversation with your uber driver, the custodial or front desk staff at your school or office building, the person sitting next to you on an airplane. Every person we meet has a unique story, and possibly a connection to the line of work we do, if we have the time and patience to listen. Networking is vital to our future careers, but don’t limit your network to specific or certain people. We are not experts in everything, but if I come across a topic I don’t understand, I know I have a pool of people I could reach out to that could help me gain insight and a deeper understanding of the topic or if they don’t know they can connect me with the people that do. Relationship building is important in all aspects of your life, so don’t be afraid to start practicing and building your network now.