Spotlight on AFSA Alumni!

Check out what AFSA Alumni have been up to! See below for their stories!

If you or you know of any alumni who would like to be featured in an AFSA Alumni Spotlight please share this link to the AFSA Alumni Spotlight survey. Thank you! If you have any questions please contact Stephanie Forliti.

CLASS of 2005 - Jeremy Harrison (4/1/2020):

Jeremy Harrison graduated from AFSA in 2005. He went on to attend the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and graduated with a degree in Agricultural Leadership and Communication. He is now working as a supervisor in the Nutrition and Food Services department at Sanford Medical Center in Sioux Falls, SD. Jeremy rotates between room service, cafeteria, Dakota Food Court, and the Children’s Hospital kitchen. He and his staff are responsible for feeding the entire hospital. AFSA helped him get into the college he wanted, which led him to cheerleading and to South Dakota where he is now living with his wife and son. Jeremy’s advice to our high school students is - Learn to study!

CLASS of 2010 - Kelly Froehlich (9/21/2020):

Kelly Froehlich graduated from AFSA in 2010. She went on to attend the University of Minnesota Twin Cities where she received a double major in Agricultural Education and Animal Science. She continued her studies at South Dakota State University and just this past March received her PHD in Animal Science from Lincoln University in New Zealand.

Kelly is now working as an assistant professor/state sheep extension specialist for South Dakota State University, and also co-owns a flock of Lincoln longwool sheep and niche market their wool.

Fun side note - the Froehlich family helped AFSA design and build the green house and the hydroponic system in the greenhouse.

“AFSA really challenged me and gave me a lot of opportunities that I wouldn’t have had elsewhere. The science fairs, and hands on experience helped ignite and engage my interests and gave me skills (like public speaking) that helped me succeed in my career path. A specific example, I received an internship at the UMN because of my involvement in the World Food Prize at AFSA. That internship was working in a dairy nutrition lab (improving the way we feed cows) and that turned into a job throughout college. It also helped me realize I really enjoyed what I was doing and helped me pick my undergraduate major and pursue my graduate degrees.”

Some advice to our students from Froehlich. “Be yourself, don’t be afraid to take opportunities even if you are the only one pursuing it, or your friends think it’s ‘lame’. It’s important for you to do whatever excites or ignites your passion. You’ll find more opportunities and doors open when people can see your enthusiasm or excitement. Also, don’t be afraid to challenge yourself, if you think you’re interested in doing something go for it, even if you don’t know anything about it. You can build knowledge over time, you can’t force yourself to become excited for something that you have no interest in.” - Kelly

CLASS of 2012 - Sammi Fleckner (4/16/2020):

Sammi Fleckner graduated from AFSA in 2012. She received her B.S. Agriculture & Food Business Management, with an emphasis in Finance, from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. (College of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences). She also acquired minors in Applied Economics and Marketing.

Sammi is currently the Commodity Market and Risk Analyst for Foremost Farms USA, a dairy cooperative in Wisconsin. She is focused on analyzing and forecasting commodity markets, calculating market price risk throughout the supply chain and implementing risk management programs to effectively protect against that exposure. She is focused on problem solving using data driven insights, cross-functional collaboration throughout the supply chain and long-term strategic thinking in her day to day responsibilities. Sammi enjoys the purpose behind her work, in continuing to deliver the highest value back to the cooperative members as they continue to feed the world.

“I would not be where I am today if I had not attended AFSA. The food and agriculture industry is so much more than I could have ever imagined as a Freshman entering high school. AFSA gave me the opportunity to learn where my food comes from, see insights on how food travels from farm to fork along the supply chain, and help to spark a passion for the idea of spending a lifetime in an industry that is working to feed a growing world, in a more sustainable way. I did not grow up in agriculture, but now after nearly 4 years of working in the industry I wouldn’t ever look back!”

“AFSA continues to offer so much, and with an open mind and the curiosity to learn something new every day, the staff and resources there can lead you to a bright future! Take advantage of the resources and years of experience in the industry you are surrounded with. The Midwest is full of passionate farmers, and the Twin-Cities is full of Agri-businesses to support the supply chain following those farms to deliver high quality products to consumers around the world. Working in the Food and Agriculture industry truly spans from farm to fork, and the possibilities are endless.” - Sammi

CLASS of 2013 - Cally Roberts (12/5/2023):

Cally Roberts graduated with the class of 2013. Cally attended the University of Minnesota, and graduated with a degree from the College of Food and Agricultural Sciences in 2017. 

Cally is the softscape foreman with Traverse des Sioux Garden Center. Cally travels anywhere within the borders of Minnesota to plant and maintain trees and shrubs in right-of-ways and boulevards, establish native perennial rain gardens and mesic prairies, as well as improve the ecological impact on a neighborhood scale. 

“AFSA was my first deep introduction to our food system and the individual impact humans can have on our environments. I remember being so frustrated at my questions being answered by more questions (thanks Mr. Lane), but their encouragement for me to seek answers and hypotheses built my critical thinking skills within and beyond the scope of our natural ecosystem. We might not be able to "save the world" but we can make an impact directly around us.” 

“Couple your dreams with actionable goals. Aiming for the sky is great, but it's more sustainable when you have a staircase of achievable goals to get you there rather than hoping a shot to the moon will come. Additionally, don't jump into college if you're not certain what you're looking to invest in for yourself. Trade schools are the best for building long term physical skills. Community colleges can give you a door to the wide swaths of experiences you haven't had yet; plus you can do fully paid apprenticeships through them! University gave me the language to critically understand what I was interested in and showed me how many more opportunities and niches there are in agriculture and the horticultural world. Staying curious rather than judgmental will get you farther than you could ever imagine.” - Cally

CLASS of 2013 - Andy Zarembinski (5/9/2022):

Andy Zarembinski graduated from AFSA in 2013. He attended Winona State University where he received his BS Liberal Arts degree and then attended Mayville State University where he received his BS in Elementary Education. Andy is currently working as a 5th grade teacher for Parshall School District #3 in North Dakota and is also the district athletic director and a coach. 

"Many of the skills I learned in high school have applied to my job today. I really took what my teachers were saying and teaching to heart so much that it pushed me to become a teacher. Through my involvement in FFA I was able to enhance my leadership skills and skills to work with people which I use every day for my job. Being involved in a small school like AFSA allowed me to build a great community for my education experience and that translated into building that same community in my classroom." 

 "It is important to follow your dreams and goals even when the rest of the world says you can’t. It is important that, no matter how hard something may become, that you see it through until the end, because otherwise you will have missed that opportunity completely."  - Andy

CLASS of 2014 - Connor Pedersen (7/2/2019):

Connor Pedersen graduated from AFSA in 2014. He attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and graduated with a BSc. in Biochemistry. He is working as an Associate Scientist at Zoetis.

“AFSA gave me guidance into my chosen career path. I knew I wanted to go into the life sciences, but I didn’t know what I wanted to do with a life sciences background. AFSA introduced me to the agricultural industry and through my classes I gained a greater understanding of what kind of careers would be available in the future. AFSA showed me options and helped me decide what I wanted to do and from there I was able to make decisions on where I wanted to go on to college and what industry I wanted to work in.”

“My role (at Zoetis) is to culture cells, bacteria, viruses, etc. for the development of vaccines and pharmaceuticals for animals (pets and livestock). I have to work closely with members of a project team to develop a protocol for a project. Then I’m responsible for the execution of the project/experiment and to review the documentation of the project to ensure that all information is correct and compliant with company standards. The cell stock that is developed will either be used for further research or transferred to manufacturing for use in production.”

“The skills I have now that I use as a scientist I began to develop while I was at AFSA.” - Connor Pedersen

CLASS of 2015 - Emily Blosberg (4/9/2020):

Emily Blosberg graduated from AFSA in 2015. She earned her Associate’s Degree from Century College in 2018 and then her BS in Communications from Colorado State University. Emily has taken her education and life experiences and created a nonprofit to help others.

“I run a nonprofit organization, Oscar the MS Monkey, which supports children and teenagers who have been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. This organization was started as a result of my SAE project in Mr. Pollock’s class! In the last 4 years, we have sent over 500 care packages to children around the world with an MS or similar diagnosis, held 3 family camps, 1 teen camp, brought teenagers to speak with legislators in Washington DC, held video calls (3 times per week) with kids and teens, and traveled around the country bringing local communities together. We have a lot planned for the near future!

Attending AFSA helped me understand how to tackle large projects. For example, completing a science fair project every year taught me how to plan a project, divide it into steps, and focus on each detail. This served me throughout college and into my career as there are always large projects to tackle. It is greatly beneficial to know how to complete those projects one step at a time.” - Emily Blosberg

Emily’s advice to our high school students - Complete your general credits at a community college, then transfer your credits to a 4 year school. It saves so much money!

CLASS of 2016 - Allison Olson (12/31/2020):

Allison graduated from AFSA in 2016 and went on to attend the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, studying Exercise Science & Health Education.