CALS Week: Highlights

There are so many things that make me proud to be a student at Iowa State University. Few things make me prouder than the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences' celebration of CALS Week. The week is always jam packed with competitions between clubs, free meals on central campus, and inspiring speakers. It makes me feel so honored to be in the College of Ag to see all that my friends and peers have pulled off "Telling Our Story", while keeping up with full course loads and jobs.

Mr. CALS kicked off the week with a hilarious Miss America meets farm boys pageant. Hosted by Sigma Alpha as a fundraiser for a local charity, the event attracted quite a crowd of students. The young men that participated strut their stuff in three categories, formal wear, calendar boys, and dress your major. After judges narrowed the field down to five, the remaining contestants lip synched their way to the awards ceremony. This year's reigning Mr. CALS is Drew Mogler who represented the Agricultural Business Club.

Photo Credit: Katy Klopfenstein/Iowa State Daily

For me, another one of the highlights of the week was hearing Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey speak to a full auditorium of students, instructors, alumni, and engaged Iowans on campus. Over the course of his talk, he made some excellent points, but a particular story really stuck with me. Mr. Northey shared about his experience awarding the Century and Heritage Farm Awards each summer at the Iowa State Fair. He described the good ache in his hand after shaking hands with over 400 farm families last summer.

Photo Credit: Matt Kerns

Another student favorite during CALS Week is free meals on campus. The CALS Student Council always does a great job of finding generous supporters to help feed a few thousand hungry ag kids each day. For my classmates and I, it's a great opportunity to catch up, network with the sponsoring company of the day, or purchase CALS Week t-shirts.

Finally, Mr. CALS wasn't the only title to be claimed during the week. Ag related clubs also competed in Quiz Bowl and Ag Olympics. Quiz Bowl tested student's knowledge while Ag Olympics tested their athletic ability in a series of hilarious farm relays.

Photo Credit: ISU Ag Business Club Facebook Page

All in all, this year's CALS Week was one for the books! I'm so proud to be a Cyclone and can't wait to see what next year's celebration has in store. In the mean time, I look forward to "Telling Our Story" along with my classmates. Thanks for reading!