Role: President
The LSU Agribusiness Club had become a low-activity club, and as I fell into the presidency I decided it was time to revitalize it. I took a unique approach to rebuilding it, as my view of Agribusiness may be different than is traditional. You’ll see below.
How I Contribute:
I Established honey sales, body products, and handcrafted wooden products as a sustainable revenue stream for the club, with over $3,000 in total revenue raised. This created a self-sustaining business model that funds club activities and provides events for students to attend. The following describes the pattern we follow: 1. Investment → Host an event for members to learn about and make a given agricultural value-added product. Soaps, scrubs, lip balms, honey dippers, etc. They keep an item, the rest are added to inventory. 2. Sale → Tabling in LSU’s Free Speech Alley has been an incredible souce of funds. 3. Reinvestment → Use the funds we get to put on more “profitable” events and purchase materials to make inventory, generally a different product every time. This sustainable fundraising model ensures continuity for the club’s financial and programmatic welfare.
I spearheaded active programming for members using the fundraising model as our financial base, hosting 8 events in the Fall 2025 semester. We also created connections between students and the agricultural industry through guest speakers like Ben Heroman, the owner of Billy Heroman’s Florist, or the Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture, Dr. Mike Strain
We increased member engagement, with over 30 active members of the club. This built a stronger community within the College of Agriculture and the broader LSU system, through club meetings and events and tabling. People see the Agribusiness Club on campus, and want to get involved.
Impact:
We started a scholarship fund, and the club has pledged 250 scholarships at the end of the semester.
We provided other direct professional development opportunities for our members in the form of Career Night and our CME Ag Commodity Trading Challenge. We also created an event coordinator system that allows students to get hands on experience coordinating an event.