Brianna Gorham (agricultural business) knew her career path would be rooted in agriculture. Experiences in 4-H and her family farm showed her the breadth of agriculture, so continuing to expand that knowledge in college was important. But it was participation in the National Agriculture-Marketing Association (NAMA) at ISU that pushed her out of her comfort zone and helped her build public speaking skills. By participating in club activities, Brianna realized that as the world becomes more interconnected it would be important to be able to communicate topics to the general population.
Hearing stories about the marketing and communication internship experiences of other NAMA team members led Brianna to an internship with Corteva, where she assists the marketing communication team on projects including producing sales and marketing materials, and creating and scheduling social media content. In an agency business model setting, Brianna is building skills in public speaking, writing, and overall communication while expanding her knowledge of agriculture as she learns about even more opportunities in the industry thanks to Corteva’s diverse businesses.
Many students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) have multiple internships over the course of their Iowa State adventure that help inform their career choices and provide a chance to see further application of concepts learned in class. Students also gain speaking and critical thinking skills, and grow their network of industry contacts.