Dordt agriculture student to serve as National Teach Ag Ambassador

Katie Bush, a Dordt University agriculture education major has been selected as one of 12 students to serve as a 2022-23 National Teach Ag Ambassador by the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE).

“Katie’s passion for agricultural education was electrifying in her interview for this position,” says Cameron Earlywine, program manager for professional development and teacher recruitment and retention at NAAE. “Students were selected based on their proven leadership abilities, futuristic mindset toward their involvement and service as an ambassador, and demonstration of passion for agricultural education, their chosen profession.”

Earlywine states that a large pool of candidates applied, which was then narrowed to a smaller group who were selected to move on to the interview stage. This year’s ambassadors will start their term on October 1.

Bush is excited to make an impact in her future classroom and through the ambassador program.

“My greatest hope for my career in teaching is that, at some point, I changed a student's life,” says Bush. “If I end my career with just one student that looks back and thinks ‘I am where I am today because of the impact that teacher had,’ then I know I'll have succeeded where God called my heart.”

Bush credits her high school agriculture teacher as well as Dordt’s agriculture and education professors for helping her find the right fit as an agriculture education student.

“At some point early on in the education classes, we talked about finding where our deepest hope and greatest joy met, and for me, that was in the agriculture classroom.”

Bush says that what she’s appreciated the most about both the agriculture and education departments at Dordt are the professors.

“They come alongside their students and truly give the support that future educators need, both academically and personally. Each one of the ag and ed professors has uniquely impacted my life in some way that has really helped me strengthen my passion for the agriculture industry and for teaching. They care about you from the second you walk into their classroom to long after you walk out for the last time, which is part of what makes Dordt such an incredible place to be.”

Bush is one of six students currently studying agriculture education at Dordt, where students are part of both the agriculture and the education program, two of Dordt’s largest majors.

To learn more about either program visit Dordt.edu/agriculture and Dordt.edu/education.

About Dordt University

As an institution of higher education committed to the Reformed Christian perspective, Dordt University equips students, faculty, alumni, and the broader community to work toward Christ-centered renewal in all aspects of contemporary life. Located in Sioux Center, Iowa, Dordt is a comprehensive university named to the best college lists by U.S. News and World Report, Forbes.com, Washington Monthly, and Princeton Review.