By Katrina Hageman
Combining her curiosity and passion for agriculture, Caelan Engelbrecht found her true calling in the agricultural systems technology major at Iowa State University.
Engelbrecht, a junior, is enrolled in the agricultural and biosystems management option within the AST major. This option focuses on management, improving systems and using technical skills to problem-solve and enhance production.
“While growing up on a farm, I always had an engineering mindset that wanted to know how and why certain processes worked,” Engelbrecht said. “In the AST major, I have been able to take that mindset and expand my knowledge through lab-focused curriculum and hands-on experiences.”
Engelbrecht’s curiosity motivated her to travel and experience innovations and advancements in different parts of the world, especially the agricultural industry.
During spring 2024, Engelbrecht participated in a semester-long exchange program at the University College Dublin. She traveled to six countries during that experience, then studied abroad in Singapore during this semester’s spring break.
“Studying abroad and experiencing an exchange semester shaped my global perspective and exposed me to places that take different approaches than the United States,” Engelbrecht said. “It was especially interesting to compare different innovation techniques and advancements within the agricultural industry in various countries.”
Over the past three years, Engelbrecht has been an active member in the Agricultural Systems Technology Club and currently serves as its president. She’s also a peer mentor for the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering and serves on the Technology Curriculum Committee, helping faculty plan classes for future students.
Engelbrecht has also been involved in CALS Council, CALS Ambassadors and Sigma Alpha. She interned at Scoular as an operations intern and at John Deere as a product development engineering intern.
“Caelan is one of the most insightful, personable and talented students I’ve worked with,” said Jordan Smith, agricultural and biosystems engineering academic advisor. “I’m proud of who she is and what she has accomplished. I believe in her as a student, a person and I’m thankful to serve as her advisor.”
This summer, Engelbrecht will return to John Deere as a marketing customer support intern for the construction and forestry team. She plans to work in product support after graduating next spring.