Moving Beyond the Classroom

CAFNR's NAMA team takes lessons learned in the classroom into a real-world setting

Written by · April 18, 2014

The 2014 Mizzou Student NAMA Competition team back, left to right is, Drake Meyer, freshman, agricultural business; Marc Griffith, senior, agricultural business; Marc Rosenbohm, senior, agricultural business; Shelby Lane, senior, agricultural business; Sabrina Cope, junior, science and agricultural journalism. Front, left to right, Courtney McBay, senior, agricultural education; Lydia Manson, senior, agricultural business; Sonja Gjerde, senior, science and agricultural journalism; Madison Williams, sophomore, science and agricultural journalism.The 2014 Mizzou Student NAMA Competition team back, left to right is, Drake Meyer, freshman, agribusiness management; Marc Griffith, senior, agribusiness management; Marc Rosenbohm, senior, agribusiness management; Shelby Lane, senior, agribusiness management; Sabrina Cope, junior, science and agricultural journalism. Front, left to right, Courtney McBay, senior, agricultural education; Lydia Manson, senior, agribusiness management; Sonja Gjerde, senior, science and agricultural journalism; Madison Williams, sophomore, science and agricultural journalism.
Palm trees and sunshine greeted the Mizzou student chapter of the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) as they arrived in Jacksonville, Fla., for the national NAMA convention and student marketing competition.

The chapter was recognized for organization and planning, placing 11th out of 31 chapters for their completed annual report.  As one of the youngest and smallest chapters nationally, this is a great start, said the group’s vice president.

“For the past four years I have seen NAMA go from an idea to a nationally competitive campus organization,” said Marc Rosenbohm, vice president of Mizzou NAMA and senior in agribusiness management.

This organization of marketing professionals has student chapters at universities across the U.S. NAMA provides students with networking opportunities, professional development and career advice through speakers, sessions and the student competition.

“NAMA has helped me learn when to trust myself and when to ask questions,” said Madison Williams, sophomore science and agricultural journalism major.  “It was great getting to meet professionals who are so excited about Mizzou’s team.”

Mizzou NAMA competed with 30 other teams in the student marketing competition. Participants are asked to select a new product, create a detailed written marketing plan and present why this plan is the most feasible in hopes of winning the contest.

Drake Meyer, freshman in agribusiness management, was selected for the Robert Roy Gable Scholarship. This national scholarship is for students who show outstanding leadership and potential.

Drake Meyer holds the 2014 Gabel Scholarship for students excelling in leadership and agriculture.Drake Meyer holds the 2014 Gabel Scholarship for students excelling in leadership and agriculture.

“It was a real honor to be awarded with this scholarship,” Meyer said.  “NAMA has done so much for me and to be awarded a scholarship from them just makes it even better.”

Giving students the opportunity to move beyond the classroom into a real world setting is one goal of the organization.

“NAMA has allowed me to apply what I learned in classrooms to the marketing competition, mimicking real life marketing situations,” said Marc Griffith, NAMA treasurer and senior agricultural business major. “This has helped prepare me for my career.”