The Department of Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership (ACEL) has named 13 students to the 2022 class of ACEL Outstanding Seniors. These students were selected by the faculty and staff of the department for their excellence both in and out of the classroom. Stacey Butler, an agricultural communication major from Alexandria, Ohio, was named as one of ACEL’s Outstanding Seniors for 2022.
Read about Stacey’s Ohio State experience below.
Why did you choose your major?
I chose to major in agricultural communication because I wanted to combine the skills I had in communication, event planning and photography with an industry I felt connected to and wanted to advocate for. My intention is to bring a positive light to the agricultural community. I want to share their stories, showcase their products, and help create a positive experience in the market for small businesses.
Why did you choose to attend Ohio State?
I chose to attend The Ohio State University because of not only the program I wanted to pursue, but also because of my family history. I am a fourth-generation buckeye. My great-grandfather graduated in the 1920s, my grandmother in the 1970s, my mother in the 1990s and now I am graduating 2022. I also think it is neat that we have three generations of women back-to-back earning degrees from OSU.
What classes did you enjoy the most?
The classes I enjoyed the most are the ones I found a way to immediately incorporate in my day-to-day life and work. I enjoyed a Strategic Communication for Business class as it strengthened my technical writing and helped me explore a different style of writing. The AgriNaturalist courses were excellent because it challenged me as a journalist, photographer, and in editing. I was challenging taking the first course in 2020 due to the pandemic restricting our ability to interview subjects in-person. I also enjoyed all my visual media and design classes because the professors were fully invested in their craft and their passion was communicated through their teaching. Lastly, I enjoyed the Public Relations class that brought many of my other courses together when it gave me and my classmates the opportunity to create a PR campaign for a real company with a real need with real feedback. All these classes were the standouts amongst many great classes!
What student organizations were you involved in and what roles did you hold within those organizations?
During my time at The Ohio State University, I wasn’t involved in any organizations on campus. I was able to volunteer my time as a Girl Scout Troop leader in my local community instead. The girls inspire me to maintain my positive attitude, their confidence grows constantly, and they are truly fun to be around.
What internships did you complete and what were your responsibilities?
I worked as an intern at North Country Charcuterie, a small family business making cured meats. Due to COVID-19 making it very difficult to find an in-person intern opportunity, I was given the opportunity to intern there twice. My full-time internship was during the summer when I was as the Social Media/Communication intern. My primary responsibility was creating a social media calendar that maintained the brand, fostered engagement with its followers, and promoted products. In the fall, I transitioned to the Marketing intern and my responsibilities shifted. I was able to create new product photography, re-design the website, assist in developing a corporate gifting campaign, design a charcuterie kit that was successful in sales, and work with Belle Communication to execute their PR campaign suggestions for North Country Charcuterie. I truly enjoyed my job as an intern with North Country Charcuterie.
What do you plan to do after graduation?
After graduation I will continue to work as the Marketing Coordinator for North Country Charcuterie. I am going to also work on building my photography business, in hopes to grow it one day into a marketing and design firm. Long term, I hope to develop my own business in which the agricultural community can use me (and those I employ) as resources for marketing their own small business.
What stands out as your best college memory?
I think I will always remember the winter when I was taking a MicroEconomics course at the Newark branch during my very first semester (before I was able to transition to the Columbus campus) … I was driving my daughter to preschool on my way to class when I was notified that due to the snow accumulation her school was closed. Rather than turning around and trying to make last minute childcare arrangements, we continued to campus. I remember walking in and my teacher was surprised to see my daughter in tow. I apologized because I knew it probably wasn’t a good idea and offered to leave. He smiled and told me he was thrilled I brought her. It was almost like a right of passage when he told me how many of the other teachers had children in their classrooms at some point in their career, but he had not – so he was excited to have her join. She sat at a desk in the front of the room next to me and proceeded to color while he lectured. Halfway through lecture, I was called on randomly to answer a question. I managed to get it right and my teacher responded with something like “well done!” My daughter, without missing a beat, said “good job mama!” and the class laughed. She had been so quiet the entire lecture that her tiny voice surprised everyone, but she was so sweet and innocent everyone enjoyed her comment. When we left my teacher thanked me for bringing her, said she was welcome any time. My daughter proceeded to gift him with a drawing of a dragon she had been working on. It was a moment I realized that the teachers at Ohio State University were like none other and were committed to seeing their students succeed, even if it meant a 4-year-old attending on a snowy day. I will always remember that moment.
How did the pandemic impact your college experience? Is there anything you missed because of it?
The pandemic had an impact on my college experience but probably not in the same way as traditional college students. I have two children in elementary grades, so when all the schools switched to online it became challenging to be both student, parent, teacher and tech support. My children were in preschool and first grade with no computer experience. We adapted quickly but there were definitely a few weeks when I thought I would have to withdraw from my classes and focus on their education. I think we all took a turn shedding tears of frustration as we tried to navigate the new system. We got the hang of it and have been successful – but we are all happy to be back in-person. The only thing I think I missed out due to covid was the chance to interview face to face. I was taking the first course for the AgriNaturalist and scheduling an interview with potential story leads was nearly impossible. I still gained the skills, but it was a challenge!