Local Student to Serve on the Agriculture Future of America Student Advisory Team
Kansas City, MO – From Middletown, Pennsylvania, Clayton Wagner is motivated and determined to make a positive impact on the world. As a sophomore at The Pennsylvania State University studying agribusiness management, he is off to a good start.
From internships and work experiences to leadership and volunteer opportunities, Wagner pursues experiences that set him apart from his peers and prepare him to pursue a career in agriculture and food. Most recently, he was selected as an Agriculture Future of America Student Advisory Team member.
AFA is a leader and professional development organization for collegiate leaders and young professionals. Providing leader development, intern support and scholarships, AFA seeks to be a catalyst in the preparation of a new generation of agriculture leaders. Wagner and his fellow team members serve as AFA’s student voice, providing direction to the organization and its programming.
“AFA is the cream of the crop. I feel that we have such amazing resources at our events and the value of knowledge that industry professionals pass to us is astounding. We have opportunity to meet very successful people who are eager to help young ag professionals,” he said.
Wagner and the other ten team members were selected through a competitive application process to serve and represent their peers on a national level. Wagner says he is looking forward to his experiences with the team.
“I am excited to be in a position where I can lead and show other students the benefits AFA has to offer. I have changed so much because of AFA, and I want to help other students take advantage of the organization as well. I'm here to serve AFA and make it an even better place,” Wagner said.
A major component of the Student Advisory Team’s responsibilities is the planning and delivery of the 2021 AFA Leader Development Program, specifically AFA Leaders Conference. Held Nov. 10-13 in Kansas City, Missouri, this event is AFA’s core leader development program and over 1,000 delegates from across the nation will be selected to attend. The Student Advisory Team kicked off the planning of Conference in December and will continue it throughout the year.
Wagner said, “AFA provided a solid foundation for me to build my college career on. After attending Conference my freshman year, I was hooked, and I knew I wanted to get involved with the organization on a deeper level. It has helped me learn how to map out my future goals and ambitions as well as fostered skills to work towards achieving such goals.”
Wagner's entrance into the AFA leader development programs began in 2019 when he was selected to participate in AFA Leaders Conference. Since then, he has attended Conference again, received a 2020 AFA Leader and Academic Scholarship and participated in the AFA Leader Fellowship. In addition to his involvement with AFA, he has also been active in other organizations including Penn State Ag Advocates, Penn State Collegiate Farm Bureau and Alpha Zeta.
About AFA
AFA builds bridges for young leaders to foster engagement and innovation in food and agriculture. With program participation increasing 28% in the last five years, AFA has provided 21,000 leader development experiences to college leaders and young professionals from more than 200 colleges and universities throughout 43 states since its inception in 1996. AFA has awarded more than $10 million in academic and leader development scholarships. For more information about AFA, visit www.agfuture.org.