The Matador Institute of Leadership Engagement (MILE) has selected 15 undergraduate students from the Davis College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources at Texas Tech to participate in the program’s fifth cohort.
'The MILE Program uses industry engagement, professional development, and hands-on learning experiences to prepare students to be impactful leaders and qualified professionals when they enter in the workforce.'
The MILE Program seeks to develop participants' personal and professional skills while exposing them to the key issues affecting local, state, and national agriculture and policy. The three-semester program is designed to provide participants with a competitive edge when seeking career opportunities after graduation. The program’s fifth cohort began in January 2026 and will conclude in May 2027.
Lindsay Kennedy, the Patti Peck Wood Endowed MILE Program Director, said MILE is a unique experiential learning opportunity that seeks to create problem solvers for the agriculture industry and rural communities.
“The MILE Program uses industry engagement, professional development, and hands-on learning experiences to prepare students to be impactful leaders and qualified professionals when they enter in the workforce,” Kennedy said.
During the next three semesters, MILE students will participate in regional agriculture tours in the Rio Grande Valley, the Panhandle and the Southern Plains, along with trips to Austin and Washington, D.C., where they will meet with government leaders to discuss agriculture and public policy. The program also includes professional and leadership development workshops, service-learning activities, three academic leadership courses, and a professional internship. Students earn a leadership certificate upon completing the program.
With 56 MILE graduates since 2019, Kennedy said the program focuses on developing young leaders to enter industry with the skills and experiences needed to solve challenges facing agriculture and rural America. MILE Program graduates report increased confidence, improved self-awareness, expanded professional and peer networks, and a deeper understanding of agricultural career opportunities.
Thanks to strong industry support, Kennedy said the entire MILE experiences is offered at no cost to student participants.
“Our industry and philanthropic partners make it possible for students in MILE to access experiences that shape their leadership and career paths,” Kennedy said. “Their support is an investment in the future of agriculture.”
To be selected for the program, MILE members go through an extensive application and interview process and are chosen by the MILE advisory committee, which is comprised of agricultural industry representatives and Davis College faculty and staff.
The following students were selected to represent the fifth MILE cohort:
- Kirsten Bezner, ACOM, Dalhart, Texas
- Jaden Bobo, NRM, Lubbock, Texas
- Addie Carlson, ACOM, Hereford, Texas
- McKenna Claborn, PSS, Silex, Missouri
- Jack Davis, AAEC, Spearman, Texas
- Maddie Dean, ACOM, Vienna, Georgia
- Grayson Downs, ANSC, Whitesboro, Texas
- Colton Hopkins, AAEC, Haskell, Texas
- Halle Houck, ANSC, Henrietta, Texas
- Kamilah Camacho, ANSC, Corpus Christi, Texas
- Cooper Mau, AAEC, Fayetteville, Texas
- Michael McBroom, ACOM, Haskell, Texas
- Landri Ottmers, AAEC, Fredericksburg, Texas
- Elenor Rybicki, ANSC, Caddo Mills, Texas
- Savannah Sinclair, ACOM, Panhandle, Texas
CONTACT: Lindsay Kennedy, Associate Professor of Practice & MILE Program Director, Department of Agricultural Education & Communications, Texas Tech University at (806) 834-8240 or Lindsay.Kennedy@ttu.edu
0309NM26 / Editor’s Note: Photo (Back row standing, L to R) Halle Houck, Addison Carlson, Michael McBroom, Cooper Mau, Jack Davis, Grayson Downs, Colton Hopkins, Jaden Bobo, Savannah Sinclair, and Elenor Rybicki. (Middle row standing L to R) Kirsten Bezner and Dr. Lindsay Kennedy. (Front row seated, L to R) McKenna Claborn, Maddie Dean, Landri Ottmers, and Kamilah Camacho.