When Ian Johnson, a Maryville, Ohio resident, decided to pursue further 
education to major in animal science, he knew that he had to find the university that best fits him and his education goals. Iowa State University first stood out to Johnson because of the passion he saw surrounding the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Touring the campus and department left a positive impression on Johnson. "I was impressed by the quality and depth of the organizations and the students – as big as the college is, it truly has that small-town feel."
As a junior in Animal Science and International Agriculture, Johnson is involved in various organizations, including Agriculture Entrepreneurship Initiative, Block & Bridle, and Collegiate Cattlemen. He currently serves as the president of the Alpha Gamma Rho Eta Chapter and Homecoming Executive Director for the Student Alumni Leadership Council. While balancing his classes and extracurriculars, Johnson also finds time to work for the CyBIZ lab, a student consulting team through the College of Business, and occasionally helps with breeding on the ISU Dairy Farm.
Johnson has been an Animal Science Peer Mentor since his sophomore year at Iowa State. This opportunity allows him to work with incoming freshmen during their first semester at Iowa State University. When asked about his experience, he responded, "I enjoy closing the gap and being able to meet new students and help them through the growing pains of starting their freshman year." Ian explained that the most rewarding part of his experience in the program was seeing his mentees start to find their place in the college and their leadership positions.
Over the past few years, Johnson has completed multiple internships, spending a summer with COBA / Select Sires as a Reproductive Services Client Manager Intern, where he gained hands-on experience in reproductive services and reproduction consulting. Johnson spent the following summer with the Purina-Centerra Co-Op as a Feed Sales Intern for Purina, where he helped get a start-up dairy rolling and made cold calls to increase the Co-Op's customer basis. This summer, Johnson is looking forward to completing another internship with Select Sires as a Corporate Account Intern working with larger dairy farms out west. Upon graduation, he plans to find a career in the animal ag sector, more specifically in the reproduction and genetics field, with aspirations to complete his MBA after gaining a few years of experience in the industry.
Johnson's experience enforces the idea that there is something for everyone in the Department of Animal Science, no matter where you are from or where your interests lie.
Ian's advice for new students in the Department of Animal Science:
"Push outside your comfort zone and push yourself to do things you haven't done before. Take hard classes, meet people, and network."