Colton Spencer, an agricultural education and leadership major from Aurora, Missouri, was named Outstanding Junior at CAFNR’s 2019 Celebration of Excellence awards ceremony, held Thursday, April 11.

Spencer is the president of CAFNR True Tigers, a CAFNR Ambassador, a student worker for CAFNR Career Services, and has served as a CAFNR Summer Welcome Peer Counselor. He is a past president of Missouri FFA, past president and past national board of director of the Heart of America Gelbvieh Association and American Gelbvieh Junior Association, and owner/operator of Spencer Cattle Co.

“Colton’s interpersonal communication skills and ability to positively impact others are two of his other greatest skills,” said Matt Arri, coordinator of CAFNR Career Services. “During the summer of 2018, Colton served as a Summer Welcome Peer Counselor and part of his job was to welcome new students and their parents. Many times, Colton took it upon himself to sit down with several families in our lobby and would strike up conversations with each family member and was quite skilled at making everyone feel at home. In addition, Colton also assumed a frontline position as a student speaker and conducted numerous presentations about CAFNR to our new students and their families. Colton is well respected among his fellow students, by our faculty, and by our staff due to his strong academic performance, his strong work ethic, his outstanding leadership abilities, and his stellar interpersonal communication skills. Colton is truly a role model and is mature beyond his years.”