Kia Ora, or in other words, hello. I am excited to join the team here at Decision Innovation Solutions (DIS) and look forward to all that I can learn from the talented professionals I work with.
As the Marketing and Communications intern, I am responsible for implementing the social media strategy, maintaining an active online presence, and managing the monthly newsletter, the DIS blog, and other web content.
My passion for the agricultural industry stems from a deeply instilled love of the land and my commitment to care for it.
I was raised in rural New Zealand in a small town outside of the Dunedin City. My parents taught me the importance of stewardship as they relied on the land to sustain our family’s needs. We kept chickens, gardened, hunted, and fished for food; rainwater was collected in large tanks; we chopped the wood that fed the coal-range, which was used to cook the meals, heat the water, and warm the house. I was fortunate enough to participate in various outdoor recreational activities that gave me the opportunity to explore New Zealand’s beautiful landscape. This reliance and experience with the land fostered the deep love and respect I have for it today and is what motivated me to pursue my undergraduate degree in Agribusiness Management at Brigham Young University – Idaho.
During spring of 2020, I completed an internship with the Research Business Development Center in Rexburg, Idaho. I worked alongside fellow students to build a website for a local feedlot to market their products and improve their direct-to-consumer sales. In this internship I learned about the beef industry and acquired new skills regarding web development and coding. To continue developing these skills I am also studying Business Analytics to complement my major.
I have actively participated in the university’s Agribusiness Society which has contributed greatly to my professional development, especially with its involvement in the new Idaho Ag Pulse Project. For this project, I work alongside other students and faculty to develop an index which will measure the economic health of Idaho agriculture and serve as a resource for agricultural producers, policymakers, and stakeholders throughout the state.
I will be graduating from BYU-Idaho in December of 2021. I hope to work in the legal profession with an emphasis in ag law and policy.