Story by Kate Jackson
This week I had the pleasure of spending a day in Oklahoma’s State Capitol networking and learning with other agricultural interns from the state. Our day started with a fun tour of the Capitol where we got to experience some of the building’s history and artwork. After that we heard from Kirby Smith who is the Chief of Staff for Lieutenant Governor Matt Pinnell. She was an extremely fun presenter who spoke to us about her current role and her previous work for Congressman Lucas as a field representative. Listening to Kirby speak about her experiences in the professional world and her transition from her past job to her present job was insightful.
We also got to meet with Secretary of Agriculture Blayne Arthur. Secretary Arthur talked about her unique career path, which was interesting to me. I was impressed with how well she interacted with myself and the other interns, and I loved how real she was. Listening to both of these awesome ladies was inspirational to me as a young agriculture leader.
The group then enjoyed a pork lunch sponsored by the Oklahoma Pork Council. Coordinating our lunch plans for the day was a good event planning experience for me in this internship. After lunch, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Dell Kerbs came to speak to us. I enjoyed listening to him share about agricultural issues he has dealt with and how they have been handled. It was interesting to hear his point of view and his experience with policy. Another leader we got to meet was Skye McNeil from the Oklahoma Association of Career and Technical Education. I really enjoyed listening to her talk about some of the policy issues she dealt with as a former state legislator and her experience now being a lobbyist.
Our last meeting of the day was with Michael Kelsey who is the Executive Vice President for the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association. One thing Michael said to us that really stood out to me was “if a door comes open, take a look inside.” That was important for me to hear as I transition into my senior year of college and look for future job opportunities. I truly enjoyed listening to him speak about his career and how he got to where he is today.
Overall, I had a wonderful day at the Capitol learning more about other agriculture groups and meeting other folks within the Oklahoma “Barnyard.”