By Rosemarie Long, Illinois Central College

When I first started the 2026 Growing Careers in Agriculture Mentorship Program, funded by the Illinois Soybean Association, I thought I already had a pretty good understanding of agriculture. Growing up, I was involved in livestock, showing animals, livestock judging, FFA, and 4-H. Agriculture has always been a huge part of my life. To me, ag meant early mornings, long days, county fairs, feed chores and learning responsibility through hard work. It was something I lived every day, not just something I learned about in a classroom.

But this program completely changed the way I look at agriculture and honestly changed the way I look at my future too.

Before this experience, I mostly thought about agriculture through livestock and production agriculture. I knew there were other jobs in the industry, but I never realized how many different career paths there really are or how connected they all are. Throughout the program, I had the chance to meet professionals from many different companies and careers, including sales, conservation, water quality, banking, communications and sustainability. Every person we met had a different story and different experiences, but they all shared the same passion for helping agriculture continue to grow and succeed.

Participants of the ISA mentorship program at the NRCS visit in Edwards, IL

One of the biggest things that stood out to me was realizing that agriculture is really about helping people. Whether it was helping farmers improve conservation practices, supporting producers financially or building relationships through sales and communication, every career we learned about played a role in helping someone else succeed. Hearing those professionals talk about their jobs made me start thinking differently about my own future. This program made me realize I want a career where I can work with people, build relationships and help others within the agriculture industry.

The people I met throughout this experience were one of the best parts of the program. I met students from colleges across Illinois who came from different backgrounds and experiences, yet everyone was welcoming and supportive. Even though we all had different interests and goals, agriculture connected us. It reminded me how strong the ag community really is and how important those relationships and connections are.

The professionals we met were just as impactful. Every person was willing to answer questions, give advice and help us build connections. Nobody treated us like we were “just students.” They treated us like future professionals and future leaders in agriculture. That gave me a lot of confidence and made the experience even more meaningful.

Looking back, this mentorship program gave me so much more than career information. It gave me confidence, connections and a broader understanding of what agriculture truly is. Agriculture is not just crops and livestock. It is people, relationships, leadership, service and community. Programs like this are important because they help students discover opportunities they may have never considered while also helping build the next generation of agricultural leaders.