ND PAS State President Gives Thanks to Williston State College's Ag Instructor Kim Murphy

Kayla Crooker, ND PAS State President and former WSC student, looks back on her education decisions and gives thanks to WSC Ag Department and her mentor, Kim Murphy.

"When I enrolled at Williston State College, I was not sure what I wanted to do with my life. I knew I wanted to stay involved in Agriculture, but the industry has so many opportunities I couldn't choose which one I wanted to pursue. I enrolled as a double major in Farm & Ranch Management and Ag Sales. I was so nervous for my first day of class, I almost didn't go. My feelings changed immensely when I walked into Kim Murphy's class. From that moment on, I knew I found a great place to start.  Her warm smile and at ease demeanor created a superb learning environment for myself and the rest of her students to absorb her wealth of knowledge."

The Agriculture Ambassador Program gave Crooker the opportunity to network with many influential people in the community and from around the state. She was given the chance to do television interviews, radio segments, write articles for newspapers and advocate for agriculture, all while exposing her career goals, promoting herself as an agriculturalist and building her resume.

Crooker was also very involved in another chapter at WSC advised by Kim Murphy: the Postsecondary Agricultural Student Organization (PAS). The PAS motto is "Uniting Education and Industry in Agriculture." It offers students numerous opportunities to network with industry leaders which could potentially help them when looking for employment later. "PAS also allows students to improve their skills in leadership and professional development through career program contests varying from employment interview to livestock production," states Crooker. "Being active in Ag Ambassadors and WSC Ag Club (PAS) allowed me to build on my resume and improve my leadership capabilities which led to running for state and national office. I am currently serving my second term as ND State PAS President, and was recently elected National PAS Vice President last week at our national conference. I currently attend NDSU majoring in Agricultural Education minoring in Animal Science."

PAS is a small but very influential organization of over 150 members with chapters in five different colleges.

Crooker was adamant in saying that Murphy's "relentless support and dedication" shaped her college career. Being from an agricultural background, Murphy understood the commitments that accompany the farm & ranch life.

In closing, Crookers final statement was, "As ND PAS State President, it is my duty to promote PAS in all facets of agriculture and to educate the general public about agricultural practices. I recruit new members and communicate with sponsors. I address the ND State FFA Convention and plan/preside over the ND PAS State Conference. Again, I cannot stress enough how important Kim Murphy is to the agriculture community and how she inspired me to pursue my dreams of agricultural education."