Juliana Albertengo traveled from San Jorge, Argentina to attend Iowa State’s Graduate College Commencement ceremony May 4. As a Master of Science in Agronomy distance student, Albertengo earned her degree while working full-time and helping on her family farm in Argentina.
Taking after her father, Albertengo loved agriculture and got a degree in rural business management. She was still drawn to the practical application of agriculture.
After her father died from leukemia she started the Argentinean agricultural engineering program, the equivalent of agronomy in the United States. She graduated from the Argentina National University of Rosario (Universidad Nacional de Rosario) with a degree in agronomy.
“I always wanted to study abroad,” she said. “But after my dad passed away I went back to the farm.”
In 2008, while working for the Argentinean No Till Association, she attended the Farm Progress Show in Boone and was introduced to Iowa State University. The Master’s in Agronomy distance program offered her the ability to obtain a coveted degree from the United States while living and working in Argentina.
“I looked at other programs, but this one was the most flexible,” she said. It allowed her to complete her coursework around her travel schedule while working full-time.
Juliana finished the coursework in two and a half years. Various life changes delayed completion of her creative component, but she finished in March 2017. To celebrate her accomplishment, she traveled back to Ames with her mother and boyfriend to walk in commencement.
“If it worked for me in Argentina, it can work for everyone,” Albertengo said.
