Where are they now? A Q&A series with past student scholarship attendees
IN THIS POST: Spotlight on Anna Grace Goode
By Michelle Pelletier Marshall, Women in Agribusiness Media (January 11, 2022)
The Women in Agribusiness Summit has provided scholarships for students to attend the annual event, which has nurtured a recognized agribusiness community where the sharing of business knowledge and industry innovations is at the forefront of helping women excel in the sector, for almost 8 years. Over 150 students, from college freshmen to master’s degree finalists, have benefited from this opportunity, and many have leveraged their participation in the scholarship program to advance in the sector. In this series, we’ll take a look at some of those students to see where their path has led them since attending a Summit.
We are grateful to the many sponsors who have acknowledged the importance of providing scholarships to defray the cost of attending the Summit. Their generosity helps students make connections and forge partnerships in the business world, as well as learn about the latest issues and trends in the food and ag sector.
If you are a WIA student scholarship beneficiary or know of one who’d like to share her story, please reach out to Michelle Pelletier Marshall at mmarshall@womeninag.com. We’d love to feature you here as well! For more information or to be considered for a scholarship, contact Carrie Vita at cvita@highquestgroup.com or visit womeninag.com/initiatives.
For this post, we caught up with Anna Grace Goode, who has twice attended the WIA Summit.
1). Please tell us more about the Women in Agribusiness Summit you attended, and how you came to learn about it and get involved in the organization.
I attended the 2017 WIA Summit as a scholarship recipient during my senior year at the University of Georgia. I was not familiar with WIA but applied to attend at the recommendation of a professor. After graduating in 2018, I joined Syngenta and quickly began badgering my manager to let me return for the 2018 WIA Summit in Denver.
2). What connections did you make from that participation, and how did it help shape your career goals and path?
One major theme of both Summits was agtech and how everyone from landowners to agribusiness giants could benefit from incorporating data into their decision-making. The connections I was most inspired by were forward thinkers choosing to invest in technology before they had to. I quickly realized I needed to be part of the industry shaping the future of ag and pivoted my career from Big Ag to Big Tech.
3). What is the top skill or benefit you walked away with from the Summit?
I left each Summit with a buoyancy that carried me through the months ahead. As it faded, I found myself wishing I could bottle up the feeling to have on hand for my next tough day. Camaraderie is built into the college experience through clubs and affiliations. After graduation, most of us struggle to create it for ourselves. WIA taught me the importance of prioritizing and making space to be filled up by women on similar paths. When it comes to building a career within the male dominated industries of agriculture and technology, female friendship has made all the difference.
ABOUT ANNA GRACE GOODE
Anna Grace Goode attended the University of Georgia where she received degrees in agribusiness and economics. She began her career at Syngenta before joining Salesforce in 2019. She is passionate about preserving family farms and bullish on what the next generation can accomplish by combining data with discernment. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her three-year-old Goldendoodle, Honey.
