WOODBURY – A supervised agriculture experience (SAE) can quickly become something that most students dread and may even turn them away from the program. Having to find a job or volunteer somewhere that aligns with the rules of the ag program can be a difficult thing to find, especially for incoming freshmen, but it has many benefits.
SAE’s main purpose is to encourage kids to find jobs they are passionate about and help them for the future. Luckily, teachers in the ag program work to make the process go smoothly for students, helping them to find SAEs close to them, work out schedules with them, and even going as far as to recommend students who may be struggling to find a placement to employers they know and have a good relationship with.
Around this time in the school year, freshmen are expected to have found their SAE and have all the paperwork into the ag department. This can be stressful if you don’t know where to look, but luckily Nonnewaug’s ag teachers are here to help their students.
“I found Flanders Nature Center when I was looking at the job board in the ag building,” said Cadence Sweeney, a freshman at Nonnewaug. “It was a really easy process actually; I just sent in my resume that we made at school with the help of the teachers and heard back pretty quickly. It was actually my first choice.”
Teachers know that finding a job isn’t always easy when you’re 14 years old and have never really had to have adult conversations like the ones you will have on an interview. The program sets up multiple “practice runs” for their students called “Grip and Grin”. Agriscience faculty bring in local business owners from the surrounding area and run mock interviews with students. This helps a lot to prepare students for what a real interview will look like and how they can set themselves up for success when it comes to for them to go on a real one.
Some students found it a little more difficult than Cadence, having to apply to multiple places before hearing back.
“I work at Gazey Brothers in Oxford,” says freshman Emily Lazurek. “I originally sent my resume into two other places but wasn’t hearing back from them so one of my friends told me about Gazey Brothers Farm and they were really quick to accept me after I sent in my application.”
So much important experience and knowledge is gained from everyone’s first job. From meeting new people that will open doors for you in the future to just developing communication skills are crucial in becoming a successful adult in the world today.
Jennifer Jedd, Nonnewaug’s SAE coordinator, believes that students in the Woodbury FFA definitely have the upper hand when it comes to getting an early start into the real world.
“[Having an SAE] demonstrates commitment and “stick-to-it” ness that is unfortunately appearing to lack in this generation,” said Jedd. “Colleges and employers like to see that a student chooses a path and follows to completion (unless they find they don’t enjoy it then find another passion path). But job-hopping too much is definitely a bad thing. It demonstrates a student’s ability to also work through hard times as well and demonstrates perseverance”
Being able to hold the same job all four years of high school is really an accomplishment and something that most high school students can’t say they did, because unless you are a member of the FFA, you legally can’t have a job before 16.
One student who has really worked to find an SAE that lined up with her chosen career path is Sophia Lopez, a senior in the vet program at Nonnewaug.
“I work at Yale Polo and Equestrian center,” said Lopez. “I’ve learned so much throughout my time there, the most important thing I’ve seen is growing my people skills. I have to communicate with the horses owners that I care for and the rest of the staff at the barn, because when you’re working with horses, everyone has to be on the same page. My goal is to become an equine veterinarian and I know that my time at Yale Polo has brought me one step closer to that goal.”
