Sometimes, an impactful teacher can change a student's career path, inspiring them to achieve goals they never realized. That was the case for Spencer Logan, a senior Agricultural Systems Management (ASM) major in the Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering (FABE) from Cortland, Ohio.
"I was leaning towards doing a trade, and I had a teacher whose brother did ASM at another school," said Spencer. "I did some research about the program at OSU, and it was exactly what I like to do every day."
Spencer worked on a grain farm growing up, and once he found the ASM program at FABE, he expanded on that experience by joining the ASM Club and securing an exciting internship.
"I worked in eastern Montana for two summers as an Operations Management intern at EGT, and lived in the middle of nowhere essentially," said Spencer jokingly. "I worked grain handling facilities and shuttle loading facilities where we loaded trains, and my post-grad job is essentially the next step in that."
Throughout his time at Ohio State, Spencer credits some incredible professors and courses that have shaped his experience and inspired him to progress in his career.
"Jon Witter from ATI was one of my favorite professors, and I selected him to be my mentor. He always kept things in reality, and anything we did in class was something that we were going to do in the field," said Spencer. "I also really liked Andrew Klopfenstein, who was a great capstone advisor for me."
Spencer's passion for agriculture manifests itself both in the classroom and out; in his free time, he assists with his girlfriend's family's cattle farm and even makes his own maple syrup.
Spencer's advice to undergraduates in FABE is simple but very important.
"Pay attention to your degree audit and always meet with your advisor," says Spencer. "It's a lot easier to do stuff in the early years than it is towards the end."
After graduation, Spencer will work at Cargill as an Operations Management Associate. Congratulations to Spencer for all of your accomplishments at Ohio State, and we wish you luck in the future!