BVU Ag Education Major Excited to be Part of Growing Program
Freshman Claire Woodworth participates in softball, BVU Ag Club, Teachers, Inc., and more.
An FFA excursion to Washington, D.C., served as a highlight for Claire Woodworth’s time at Panorama High School. It introduced her to the many opportunities in agriculture beyond the family farm. Woodworth’s interest has intensified as the first ag education major at Buena Vista University, where she serves as secretary in the BVU Ag Club.
“I would like to one day teach ag in a high school or serve people in agriculture through a role in ISU Extension,” Woodworth says.
Woodworth’s current class schedule includes animal physiology with Instructor of Animal Science Landon Sullivan and principles of ag education with Melanie Bloom, Instructor of Ag Education.
“I grew up on a farm and it’s great to see BVU with a working farm. We’re grateful for all that Mike Christen (Land Manager, BVU Ag Institute) does to help students get that much closer to agriculture.”
“Mr. Sullivan has taken us to the BVU farm (Agricultural Experiment Station) several times as we study animal physiology,” Woodworth says. “I grew up on a farm and it’s great to see BVU with a working farm. We’re grateful for all that Mike Christen (Land Manager, BVU Ag Institute) does to help students get that much closer to agriculture.
“I love my agriculture education class, too. I’ve learned from Ms. Bloom about the concepts I’ll be teaching as well as the history of the ag education field,” Woodworth says.
As a high school sophomore, Woodworth joined one classmate in boarding a bus bound for a weeklong leadership conference in the nation’s capital. She made longtime friends from across Iowa and throughout the nation during the experience.
“I learned about leadership skills and a lot about what goes on in agriculture in Washington,” she says. “That week sparked my interest in becoming more involved in this field.”
Woodworth’s leadership skills show on campus as a freshman willing to commit time and energy to a number of causes. She’s an infielder on the Beaver softball team and a member of Teachers, Inc.
“I just joined Esprit de Corps and have started giving tours of campus to prospective students and their parents,” says Woodworth, the daughter of two BVU alumni. “I remember my tour guide when I was a high school senior, Kelsey Roe. She did a fantastic job and even kept checking in on me during my first semester in the fall. I want to have that kind of impact on other students.”
Soon, she’ll have the chance to impact dozens of students per day, especially as she proceeds on her career path in ag education. Woodworth is proud to be the first student in a major complemented by four other ag majors in an Ag Institute that keeps adding enrollment and activity in this, its fourth year.
“Rich Crow (BVU Director of Agriculture) told me I’d be the first ag education major when I arrived,” Woodworth says. “It’s cool to be thought of as a building block for a growing program at BVU.”