From Classroom to Career

For three undergraduate students in the Davis College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, the college experience at Texas Tech University has meant much more than just going to class and getting a degree. One has gotten heavily involved in student organizations and industry engagement. Another came to Lubbock on a mission to gain the skills necessary to return home and run the family business. A third is participating in undergraduate research to get a foot in the door for vet school. While each student may be taking a different path on their educational journey, all three are making the most of their time at Texas Tech to prepare for their careers.  

The Advocate

Ashlynn Rogers has always loved traveling and connecting with people. The senior from Brock, Texas, is majoring in agricultural education with a concentration in agricultural leadership, all while getting involved in many student organizations. Rogers hopes her campus and industry engagement will prepare her for a career in agricultural advocacy.

“I would love to work in the communications field in either food or policy and help with more of the advocacy side of things,” Rogers said. “I love getting to talk and just hear everybody else’s perspectives and experiences, which is something I’ve learned to value during my time in college.”

During her last three years in Davis College, Rogers represented Texas Tech while attending Agriculture Future of America conferences and events with other agriculture students from around the country. AFA, Rogers said, is an organization focused on exposing college students to career opportunities in agriculture while creating advocates to spread knowledge and awareness about the agricultural industry.

Rogers said AFA opened the door to opportunities she never expected. She served as a delegate for the Food Systems Institute and later returned to help host the same event as part of the student advisory team. Those experiences allowed her to explore food systems, current practices and the policy conversations shaping the industry, ultimately helping her discover her calling as an advocate.

“My experiences with AFA have really shaped me into who I am,” Rogers said. 
Opportunities afforded by Davis College, Rogers said, have pushed her forward in meaningful ways. One of the most influential experiences, she said, was her congressional internship in the summer of 2025, which gave her a firsthand look at public policy.

“Getting to see the policy side of things was something I had never really been exposed to before,” Rogers said. “It really opened my eyes to all the opportunities I could have in my future.”

Balancing classes, internships, student organization leadership roles and associated travel was challenging at first, but she quickly learned communication was key to managing a busy schedule.

“I really think the basis of everything is clear communication,” Rogers said. “I’ve learned through my internships and experiences that clear communication is something I really value.”

Rogers said the more she got involved on campus and with internship experiences, the more her responsibilities grew. In addition to AFA, Rogers is a member of President’s Select, the Student Agricultural Council, Agri-Techsans, Ambassadors for Agriculture and Matador Collegiate Farm Bureau. She also received the opportunity to have a part-time job within Davis College as a social media assistant.

“I started working for the Department of Plant and Soil Science in November 2023, managing their social media, which was not something I ever saw myself doing,” Rogers said. “In August 2024, I transitioned to Davis College Marketing and Communications. My boss and coworkers really support me in every way. They gave me opportunities, and I really think that’s something I cherish and value.”

Rogers said these experiences, along with her peer network, have shaped her journey.

“I really value the opportunities I’ve had in Davis College,” Rogers said. "I think making the most of every opportunity and saying ‘Yes’ is so important.”

Rogers’ path shows how targeted campus involvement builds a communications portfolio. McKenna Claborn chose Texas Tech for a different kind of on-the-job training that was aimed specifically at preparing her to run her family’s seed company. 

The Innovator

Choosing to go to college nearly 900 miles away from home was a strategic decision for Claborn. Once she obtains her degree, the first-year plant and soil science major is focused on returning to eastern Missouri to help run her family’s seed dealership.

Claborn, who came to Texas Tech from rural Silex, Missouri, said she has always felt a pull toward agriculture. Her parents, who are both agronomists, shaped her understanding of what is possible in the industry.

“I’ve always been very fortunate to know the industry that I wanted to be a part of,” Claborn said. “I just remember knowing that my parents were able to help their yields increase to make their income better, to make their livelihoods better. I knew I wanted to be a part of that.”

Claborn said coming to Texas Tech allowed her to explore agriculture from a new perspective. She said the welcoming environment helped her transition from Missouri to West Texas, and the experiences she’s had have shaped her into a well-rounded agriculturist.

“Davis College honestly just feels like home,” Claborn said. “I remember on the tour, I was walking into Davis College, and it’s where I felt like my goals and my community kind of just aligned. Everybody was just so welcoming and so hospitable.”

Despite only being in Davis College for two semesters, Claborn has already gotten engaged on campus. She is active in Matador Collegiate Farm Bureau and the Agronomy Club and was selected to be part of the fifth cohort of the Matador Institute of Leadership Engagement Program. Claborn said  MCFB and MILE have given her insight into policy, while the Agronomy Club connects directly to her academic interests.

“I want to, hopefully, be an officer [in the Agronomy Club] next year, ramp up the program, get more involvement and make agronomy more exciting,” Claborn said. “It’s more than just crops and soil.”

Claborn said she believes it is important to try new things outside of one's comfort zone to keep growing. She plans on returning to Missouri not just as an employee but as a leader who can bring new agronomic knowledge, strengthen grower relationships and preserve her family’s legacy.

“If I had to choose a future career, I would pick a sales agronomist for my family's seed company,” Claborn said.

Where Claborn is building practical business and agronomy skills for her family’s business, Jacy White chose the path of research and field experience to build the clinical and systems knowledge she’ll need as she studies to become a rural veterinarian.

“I think making the most of every opportunity and saying 'Yes' is so important.” 

The Researcher

Jacy White said she loves research. The senior animal science major with a concentration in pre‑veterinary studies has utilized opportunities to gain research experience as a Davis College undergraduate in hopes to develop valuable skills on her journey to become a vet.

 From Bulverde, Texas, the fourth-generation Red Raider did not come from a traditional agricultural background. However, White said her mentor, Dan McBride, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and owner of Burnet Veterinary Clinic, was the reason she chose to pursue the agricultural industry.

“Having Dr. McBride come in, mentor me and talk to me was a really big deal,” White said. “That’s what really set me on the path to get more involved in the ag industry and pursue the large animal side of veterinary medicine.”

Working with McBride is what led her to become interested in other opportunities such as research within the agricultural industry. One day in Organic Chemistry 3306, White received an email from her advisor about an undergraduate research course in agricultural communications, taught by Laura Fischer, an assistant professor of agricultural communications, for Spring 2025. White said her interest was piqued.

“I got into that class with Dr. Fischer, there were only six of us, and I was the only animal science major,” White said. “I loved it. That was my favorite class.”

She said the course, Agricultural Communications Problems 4001, introduced her to a new world of research opportunities she had never considered. White said she enjoyed the experience so much that she reached out to Fischer in search of more ways to get involved with research at the end of that semester.

Fischer said she was very excited to hear White wanted to continue her research experience.

“Jacy really stood out as a great writer and somebody who could conduct great research,” Fischer said. “She even had a research poster receive top ten at a recent conference. We are very proud of her.”

Fischer said she then invited White to join a research team for a project focused on cotton sustainability and how major brands communicate it to consumers. 
White said the work opened her eyes to the people behind agricultural systems and helped her understand how research can strengthen her future as a veterinarian by giving her a deeper understanding of the producers she will serve.

“When I become a vet, I want to be able to connect with people on more than just an animal level, but also about their farms and produce,” White said.

White also participated in a study abroad experience in Belize the summer of 2025, where she shadowed veterinarians and worked in clinics with limited resources. She said seeing how Belizean veterinarians adapted with fewer tools and less support made her grateful for the resources available in the United States and strengthened her desire to serve rural communities.

“It totally changed my whole perspective on so many different things,” White said. “I got to learn how to practice medicine without the tools I’ve become accustomed to using in the United States.”

Although their goals differ, all three students share a clear strategy. They are intentionally stacking experiences that translate directly into career readiness. Whether through advocacy and policy exposure, vocational leadership and agronomy practice, or research and clinical fieldwork, each student is using Davis College resources to graduate with practical skills, professional networks and a plan to one day impact their chosen field.