Carsyn Petree’s involvement in the Missouri State Fair started at a young age. As a junior at the University of Missouri studying agribusiness management with a minor in animal sciences, Petree grew up showing animals at the fair.
“I show Boer goats,” she said. “One of my favorite parts of my internship was helping work behind the scenes of the fair that I have loved exhibiting at since I was really young,” she said.
Petree worked as an entries intern for the Missouri State Fair, which came with several different responsibilities.
“Some of my day-to-day responsibilities included organizing contest awards and exhibitor information, helping exhibitors with entry inquiries, mailing exhibitor passes and informational material and creating social media content,” she said.
Petree decided to pursue a career in agribusiness management after excelling in the FFA agricultural sales contest during her senior year of high school. After graduation, she hopes to work in animal pharmaceutical sales or another area of agricultural sales.
“I love the networking and relationship building that happens in sales, and I’ve always been passionate about agriculture, so this path seemed like the right choice,” she said.
Her internship experience allowed Petree to put the aspects she loves about the industry into action.
“I gained experience working with exhibitors, managing projects, creating content and communicating with various stakeholders,” Petree said. “This internship also strengthened my professionalism, time management and problem-solving skills.”
But her time in this role didn’t come without its challenges. Petree explained how preparing for one of the state’s biggest annual events pushed her to improve many of the skills necessary to be successful in her future career.
“My biggest challenge in this internship was learning to balance multiple projects and deadlines at the same time,” she said. “Because the Missouri State Fair is such a large event, priorities can change quickly, and I had to make sure to stay organized, communicate well and adapt to new tasks efficiently.”
Petree credits her experiences both in and out of the classroom for building her qualifications to succeed in her internship.
“My experience in CAFNR prepared me for this internship by helping me develop strong communication, leadership and teamwork skills,” she said. “Through my coursework and involvement in student organizations and agriculture, I’ve learned how to work with diverse groups of people and represent the agricultural industry professionally.”
Combining her background in agriculture with her love for the Missouri State Fair, Petree’s experiences throughout her summer internship gave her an opportunity to put what she has learned in CAFNR into practice.
“CAFNR has also helped me build a strong foundation in agribusiness and agriculture that allowed me to connect with exhibitors and contribute meaningfully to the Missouri State Fair team,” she said.