Three years ago, Jamee Scearce was attending her first Agriculture Future of America (AFA) Leaders Conference. Now, Scearce will be returning for her fourth conference – this time with a different role.

Scearce is one of only 10 students nationwide to be selected to serve as a member of the Student Advisory Team for AFA. The team held their first meeting in January.

AFA is a non-profit organization that prepares collegiate students to become professionals in agriculture and related industries through various opportunities, including the annual Leaders Conference.

“I really found my passion in AFA my freshman year in college after I attended my first Leaders Conference,” said Scearce, a junior studying agribusiness from Gower, Missouri. “I enjoy the professional development and leadership aspects of AFA. I wanted to give back [to AFA] and that’s why I applied.”

Scearce was selected for the national position after a rigorous interview process. The Advisory Team is comprised of students from 10 schools across the U.S. The team is responsible for planning and facilitating the 2020 AFA Leaders Conference, which will reach around 800 students. The conference will be held Nov. 12-15, 2020 in Kansas City, Missouri. The students will also represent AFA nationally while interacting with industry leaders, campus faculty and students.

Her favorite part of the conference is the opportunity fair, which is a career fair that brings in employers from across the nation.

“I’m able to meet with lots of companies, like Smithfield and Kraft-Heinz, that we have here in Missouri, but are also nationwide.”

Scearce is looking forward to creating connections with AFA’s partners and investing in other students.

“I’m excited to be a mentor for younger students and show them that they can do great things, too,” Scearce said.

Scearce transferred to MU after graduating with an Associate’s Degree in Arts and an agribusiness certificate in May 2019 from North Central Missouri College. She was drawn to the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources because of the strong agricultural program and her family’s ties to the school. Her father is a CAFNR graduate

Students interested in becoming involved with AFA should reach out to Scearce via her email or apply to the Leaders Conference on the AFA website.