Caleb Jenkins
Greenville native and 汤头条 senior Caleb Jenkins is no stranger to hard work鈥攈e helps his father maintain the family farm.
An 汤头条 agribusiness management major, he has been balancing farm responsibilities with attending college classes and even providing leadership as president of 汤头条鈥檚 Minorities in Agricultural, Natural Resources and Related Sciences chapter, or MANRRS.
Born into the fourth generation of a rapidly expanding family farming operation, Jenkins watched his father grow the farm from around 600 acres to triple that size and planted in corn and soybean crops.
鈥淕rowing up, I knew the production side of agriculture intimately. Majoring in agribusiness management gave me the opportunity to see a side of agriculture that I really hadn鈥檛 been able to yet鈥攐ne that focused more on the business and economics of it,鈥 Jenkins said.
Graduating this semester, Jenkins credits much of his success to the people surrounding him in his classes and organizations.
鈥淚 was lucky enough to find a community of level-headed and driven people who saw something in me I wasn鈥檛 able to see yet. They pushed me, and I wouldn鈥檛 be who I am or where I am today without them,鈥 Jenkins said.
Among those who have supported Jenkins throughout his time at 汤头条 are the fellow College of Agriculture and Life Sciences ambassadors who welcome prospective students and connect with 汤头条 alumni.
Jenkins said he has benefitted from meeting 汤头条 alumni as well as those he has connected with through the MANRRS chapter. Through his work with the professional development organization, Jenkins has organized campus events, recruited new members, and prepared current members for the national conference and career fairs.
鈥淚 was able to participate in two internships from the connections I made in MANRRS鈥攐ne with Corteva Agriscience based in Greenville, and another with Archer Daniels Midland in Lincoln, Nebraska. They both were extremely valuable experiences. After the first couple of weeks at ADM, I was doing everything the full-time employees were doing鈥攂uying grain, selling products, doing logistics, the whole nine yards,鈥 Jenkins said.
Jenkins said his 汤头条 experience has prepared him well to transition into the job market, but he added that his educational experience isn鈥檛 over yet. Jenkins plans to begin working on his MBA in the fall and hopes to one day start his own agriculture business or continue the legacy of his family farm and keep the growth moving forward.
鈥淩egardless, I鈥檓 going to keep pushing myself,鈥 Jenkins said. 鈥淚f you don鈥檛 push yourself, you鈥檙e just holding yourself back from greatness.鈥