On Feb. 9, 11 Highland Community College Agriculture students traveled to Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield to participate in the 2023 Illinois Professional Agricultural Student (PAS) Organization Spring Conference. At the conference, students participated in team and individual competitions against peers from other community colleges and universities across Illinois.
Participating HCC students received the following recognitions:
• Third Place, Dairy Cattle Specialist Team — Magen Busker, Brooke Ewald, Adriana Anderson
• Second Place, Dairy Cattle Specialist Individual — Magen Busker
• Sixth Place, Beef Cattle Specialist Team — Sara Johnson, Anna Johnson, Alyssa Miller
• Fifth Place, Overall Livestock Specialist Team — Hannah Visel, Carissa Minx, Brooke Ewald
• Sixth Place, Crops Specialist Team — Sophia Hughes, Jase Sheffey, Benjamin Bremmer
• Second Place, Impromptu Speaking Contest — Benjamin Bremmer
• Eighth Place, Impromptu Speaking Contest — Jase Sheffey
The Spring Conference also serves as an opportunity for the Illinois PAS Organization to conduct official business and elect a new officer team. Over the past year, Anna Johnson, a sophomore at Highland Community College, has served the Illinois PAS as its second vice president. This commitment required attending board meetings and coordinating the fall and spring conferences.
Congratulations also to Benjamin Bremmer, who was elected as the 2023-2024 Illinois PAS third vice president.
“I am happy to see students wanting to put in the extra effort and compete in these competitions as well as seek officer positions at the state level,” said HCC Agriculture Instructor Justin Ebert, who serves as a PAS advisor. “It is a testament to their commitment to becoming leaders in the agriculture industry for years to come.”
Professional Agriculture Students (PAS) Organization is a national student organization that provides opportunities for college agriculture students to experience individual growth, leadership, and career preparation through competition and cooperative activities. The National PAS Conference will be held March 15-18 at Des Moines Area Community College in Ankney, Iowa. Six students that qualified from the Illinois PAS Fall Conference will be attending and competing.
For more information on the Highland Community College Agriculture Program or the PAS Organization, contact Justin Ebert at justin.ebert@highland.edu or Monica Pierce at monica.pierce@highland.edu.
Photo: PAS (L-R): Carissa Minx, Alyssa Miller, Magen Busker, Hannah Visel, Sara Johnson, Adriana Anderson, Brooke Ewald, Jase Sheffey, Anna Johnson, Benjamin Bremmer (not pictured: Sophia Hughes)