members across Texas, representing volunteering
about 65 percent of all the state’s Volunteer work is yet another rich
Agriculture, Food & Natural Resource opportunity for students to gain experience
cReATe a career
students. The 4-H program offers 92 outside the classroom.
PoRTfolio
project areas to its 650,000 Texas “Students in agricultural
members, who range in age from mechanics might enjoy volunteering
One valuable tool that can help you get
9 to 19. for organizations like Habitat for
ready for college and beyond is a career
“We’re known for livestock-related Humanity,” Knezek suggests. “If you
portfolio—a collection of items that
projects,” says Jeff Howard, associate are a horticulture student, you can look
document your achievements both in
state program leader for 4-H & Youth for civic beautification projects around
and out of school, assembled in one
Development. “But we do more than that. town,” he adds. “County fairs offer
convenient package.
For example, our statewide technology still more opportunities for volunteers,
A career portfolio is not simply
team works with web development, maybe working at the children’s
a resume, although it can certainly
computer applications, and even the barnyard or being an educational expert
include one. So what should go in a
Global Positioning System.” who explains agriculture to fair visitors.”
career portfolio? A variety of things,
depending on your own personal
experiences. It could include transcripts
S P o T L I G H T
and grades; writing samples; letters
of recommendation from teachers,
mentors, or employers; awards you’ve
received; and items that document
CuLtIvAtING LEADERSHIP
other activities, such as internships and
FFA and FBlA Build Personal Skills for Success
job shadowing experiences.
“You need to be specific—dates, how
many years, any awards, what they
I
f students choose the agriculture, food & natural being responsible for their actions, getting along with
meant, and who you received them
resources cluster, chances are that they’ll be people, having the discipline to get to work on time.’
from,” says Grace Brauchle, who helps
involved in ffa—the oldest student organization in “Those are the kinds of personal character traits
students put their portfolios together
the u.s. (founded in 1928). “If a student is enrolled in that ffa instills in students,” he says.
as the career center coordinator for
agriculture classes but not involved with ffa,” says many agriculture students also participate in
Lehman High School in Kyle.
Tom maynard, executive director of the Texas ffa future business leaders of america (fbla) to
Brauchle says portfolios come in
association, “he or she won’t get the full effect of the develop leadership skills. malia Hudson, a sponsor
handy when students apply for jobs or
agricultural education experience.” of fbla at plano east senior High school in plano,
admission to college. “First impressions
logan west, a sophomore at Texas a&m says several of her students have excelled in fbla
are a very big thing,” she says, “and
university who plans to major in either agricultural skill competitions. one of them, Hunter morris, was
you want to be the one whose papers
business or agricultural leadership development, “barely interested in school and only to appease his
get passed around the office. You want
gained a lot from ffa—not the least of which was a mother’s wishes became involved in fbla,” Hudson
to be the one where the admissions
$15,000 scholarship. west says there’s more to ffa says. after excelling at an fbla competition, morris
counselors say, ‘Wow, look at this one!’”
than promotion of farming and ranching. wound up “discovering his true calling in the field of
And a portfolio doesn’t have to be
“ffa also involves public speaking and leadership economics,” she says.
simply a collection of papers. Artists
opportunities,” he says. “for example, I helped
and photographers use their portfolios
organize a convention of 8 to 10 thousand people in
to provide visual examples of their
fort worth. It took a lot of work, but the experience
work, and so can you. Do you have
was well worth it.”
photos of someone giving you an
skills like this are also important to employers.
award? Put them in. How about a video
“an oil company executive once said to me, ‘we
of a performance? Include it on a DVD.
can teach young people the hard skills, like how to
Do you have experience in Web design?
run the equipment,’” maynard remembers. “‘but
Make an online portfolio to showcase
they need to come to us with the soft skills, such as
what you can do.
Page 15
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24