The Department of Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership (ACEL) has named 12 students to the 2023 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. Rachael Billups, an agricultural communication major from Wilmington, Ohio, was named as one of ACEL’s Outstanding Seniors for 2023.
Read about Rahael’s Ohio State experience below.
Why did you choose your major?
I had no real direction or interests for most of high school, but as I grew more interested in FFA and sharing my passions in agriculture with those around me, the field drew me in. Growing up I enjoyed writing and being creative, so between those interests and the public speaking contests I competed in, Ag Communication caught my attention. After learning more about it at Ohio State, I was convinced it combined a variety of my interests and I was sold.
Why did you choose to attend Ohio State?
I have been dressed in Ohio State attire since I was a toddler, and everyone expected me to attend Ohio State. However, there was a few years at the end of middle school and most of high school that I felt OSU was too big and not realistic for me. As I continued touring more colleges, I realized I actually did want to go somewhere bigger, with more opportunities, cool experiences and great student life. My first tour of Ohio State was in late October, right before the early application deadline, but I quickly knew that this was the place I would call home for a few years.
What classes did you enjoy the most?
While the AgriNaturalist Capstone class has come with its fair share of stress, I have truly appreciated the time to spend with my peers that I have grown through this program with. I enjoy spending time with them and I really do benefit from learning and working beside them, so many of my major classes have great memories associated with them. Other classes outside of CFAES I have enjoyed include a young adult literature class and the History of Ohio.
What student organizations have you been involved in and what roles did you hold within those organizations ? How were these organizations beneficial to your collegiate experience?
ACT has been my main focus throughout my four years. I have been the treasurer, leadership committee chair, and currently serve as the president of the club. ACT has given me endless connections, the opportunity to plan a major professional development event, attended other events and workshops and create stronger relationships with those that share the same interests. Many of the skills I am walking away from my four years with have been developed or refined through ACT. Additionally, it was a club where I was really brought out of my shell by older members from the beginning of my time in the organization, which was so crucial to my continued involvement and encouraged me to return the favor to the underclassmen now.
AZP is another impactful organization where I have been able to go through various leadership workshops and recently travel to Costa Rica for a study abroad trip over spring break. Our membership became very small post-pandemic, so this organization offered the opportunity for myself and the four other remaining members to decide what we wanted for the organization and what we were going to do to get there. I will have a lot of timeless memories and experiences to take with me from my time in AZP.
Additionally, I have spent my latter three years as a Resident Advisor in the CFAES learning community. This has given me a totally different skill set than my major-related organizations. Beyond giving me some of my favorite people, I have gained a lot of experience in working with people and growing and developing as a person without even realizing it.
What internships did you complete and what were your responsibilities/projects as an intern? How were they impactful in figuring out your career path?
I had an internship with Petland Inc., where I wrote and created graphics for various blog posts about products, general pet tips and other topics. I also did wrote some of the copy for the new app that was being created at the time and turned the research into additional social media graphics to post across the corporate accounts. I was able to prepare for and attend the annual trade show and interact with franchisees and the vendors while learning more about the business.
I spent seven and a half months working at the COBA/Select Sires office as the communication/marketing intern. My main tasks included stuffing envelopes and organizing their distribution for the field staff, designing the inserts for those, as well as print ads and social media graphics. I also created the shirt for 4-H dairy exhibitors at the state fair and prepared the show book covers. A large project was designing the layout of a 12-page product catalog for both internal and external use.
I realized that I enjoy having a variety of tasks to do within a position. I do not have one specific specialty or thing I would like to focus on, but I like doing new things each day and learning as I go along.
What do you plan to do after graduation?
After graduation I am returning to COBA/Select Sires to fill a temporary position on the communications team where I will have the chance to further refine my skills and develop new ones with a team and organization I already know and love.
What stands out as your best college memory?
It is definitely hard to pick a best college memory, but I have soaked up all the sports moments I could enjoy as a student, so those rise to the top of my brain. There will be few basketball games that will come close to the joy of the men’s team making a comeback to beat No. 1 Duke at the beginning of the season during my junior year. We were able to rush the court and sing Carmen and Sweet Caroline with a bunch of happy Buckeyes and some of my favorite players. A second memory would be waking up at sunrise with 13 other Ohio State students on the STEP trip to go take photos of Crater Lake in Oregon.
What advice would you give to the freshman version of yourself?
To my freshman self, I would say hang in there. No one could have prepared for the pandemic interruptions, and while it was less than ideal, find the joy and know that it gets better each day. Keep allowing yourself to move beyond your comfort zone, many of the best people are still out there, and do not change who you are at your core. It’s gonna be a great four years!
