There are countless career opportunities in the agbioscience industry—but many college students may not even know they exist. That’s why AgriNovus Indiana is helping students to make those connections through their Field Atlas program.
“I feel like that’s been the most shocking thing I’ve learn while being in this program is that you don’t really have to know a lot about agriculture to be involved in it and make a difference,” says China Thompson, who is studying nutrition, fitness, and wellness at Marian University in Indianapolis.
She is also part of the AgriNovus Indiana Field Atlas program to learn more about the agbioscience industry through tours of ag-based businesses, on-farm visits, and meetings with Indiana’s agbioscience leaders.
China recently toured Fair Oaks pig adventure and did a farm tour with West Lafayette-based Solinftec. She also joined eleven other college students for a tour of True Essence Foods, which is a chocolate and fruit processing facility near downtown Indianapolis. While on the tour, China and the students learned how researchers use different chemical components of chocolates and fruits grown around the world to create different flavor profiles in their products. The final stop on the tour was Premier Companies, an agriculture and energy company based in Seymour.
“I got into the Field Atlas program because I want to make a difference and I want to help people eat healthier,” she says. “But since I’ve been on these tours, I’ve realized that before we can even get to people eating healthier, we have to take care of the soils and our animals because we have to make sure those things are in order for us to eat right. The nutrition side of the equation is at the very end of the process, so it has really opened my eyes to see that we need to be better before we can be better.”
China was part of a several different tours this summer with other college students from across the state.
She says now that she has been a part of the Field Atlas program, it has helped her realize that she can use her passions for health and wellness to make an impact in the agbiosciences.
“I didn’t know anything about agriculture growing up, and I would have never thought in a million years that I would be thinking about a career in agriculture, but it makes sense,” she says. “I’m excited for the future and excited to see where God places me.
Click HERE to learn more about the Field Atlas program through AgriNovus Indiana.
