Katie Rohling
Katie Rohling, Agriculture Education and Communications alumni, is currently a 4-H Youth Development Agents for the Wildcat Extension District in Southeast Kansas. Rohling is a Southeast Kansas native who attended Coffeyville Community College before transferring to Kansas State University. At K-State she received her bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Communication and Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences in 2014. She then went on to complete her Master’s degree in Agricultural Education and Communications in 2016. After graduation she moved to Girard, Kansas to pursue her dream of working with children and teaching the general public about agriculture as a 4-H Youth Development Agent for the Wildcat Extension District, K-State Research and Extension.
Rohling completed her first fair as the 4-H Youth Development Agent August 7, 2016 and enjoyed all the challenges and successes that come with the county fair. She is working to establish livestock judging teams and a sense of community with youth of Crawford county and the Wildcat Extension District. Reflecting upon her time as a graduate student Rohling indicated graduate school provided a time to network within the agriculture industry and grow professionally. Camaraderie established within K-State graduate group are something Rohling highly values and appreciates. Tight graduate school deadlines prepared Rohling to handle stressful situations in the workplace. While obtaining her master’s degree Rohling worked as a graduate teaching assistant, which she states was one of her most memorable experiences. The experience gave Rohling a greater appreciation for what it takes to educate youth and increased her desire to work with today’s youth.
Jennifer Ray
Jennifer Ray is the communications coordinator for the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom. Ray is a California native who earned her bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Communications at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo in 2013. She went on to complete her Master’s degree at Kansas State University in Agricultural Education and Communication in 2015. After graduation, she moved to Sacramento, California, where she started her work to help educate teachers and students about agriculture.
Ray has now completed her first year with the Foundation, where she has coordinated the launch of a new website, and is working to boost the organization’s reach and influence among California educators. Ray’s role includes everything from writing social media posts, e-newsletter content, donor renewal letters and reports; performing survey evaluations; and coordinating the annual story-writing contest.
She notes the diverse experience she gained as a graduate teaching assistant at K-State prepared her to prioritize tasks and communicate effectively in wide variety of situations. The precise language she developed through research writing and teaching has helped her to articulate instructions and edits to website and graphic designers. Ray values the friends she made at K-State, and remembers department culture as fun and supportive.
