“Once Upon a Time”

During my childhood, I found myself falling in love with all the Disney princess movies just like any other girl. I began to look up to them because I admired the certain characteristics of each princess. As I grew older, I realized I too possess some of the same qualities as these timeless characters.

Belle from Beauty and the Beast always had her nose in the books. Much like her, I followed my dream of attending college to begin my career in agriculture. In December, I graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, where I earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business with a finance emphasis. I plan to utilize my degree by becoming an agricultural loan officer to help farmers grow and succeed financially.

Cinderella connected well with others and, of course, animals. I am the fifth generation to be raised on my family’s dairy farm just outside of Glenwood City, Wisconsin. It was there that I found the love for the dairy cow. In my youth, I was heavily involved in 4-H and FFA, where I showed dairy at both the county and state fair and took advantage of some unique leadership opportunities through FFA at the state level. I have held different leadership positions that helped me grow as a person and leader. I served as a Wisconsin State FFA Officer and the St. Croix County Fairest of the Fair, representing and promoting agriculture.

Snow White is kind hearted and giving. I enjoy volunteering for organizations that have given so much to me in the past. I serve as the President of the Glenwood City FFA Alumni, where our club helps support the agriculture education and FFA programs at Glenwood City High School. I spend time as a co-coordinator for the St. Croix County Fairest of the Fair Program, where I schedule public appearances for the current Fairest and emcee the Fairest of the Fair coronation at the county fair in July.

It is a misconception to the public that Alice in Dairyland is a princess, but in reality, she is the agricultural ambassador for Wisconsin representing the diverse $104.8 billion agriculture industry. I plan to use these qualities and experiences listed above in the Alice in Dairyland position to share the story of Wisconsin Agriculture with both rural and urban audiences. It has been a dream of mine to become Alice in Dairyland since I was in my teens, and it would be my honor to share my knowledge and excitement for the agriculture industry with all of you! As Walt Disney once stated, “if you can dream it, you can do it!”.