What I’ve Gained

This semester has been an awesome experience at Iowa State, and being a Hixson scholar. I’ve been able to be part of such an amazing community and it’s something I’ll never forget. The memories made in recitation, or some of the speakers in class will forever be etched in my memory. This semester has made me realize one of the most scariest things ever. I don’t know if I want to be an embryologist anymore. I have thought about being teacher, working in marketing, I’ve had a few thoughts on solely farming, and mass communications.  I have the opportunity to do whatever I want! It’s been a great experience, and I’m so thankful I have a supportive group of people who are willing to help me achieve whatever I would like. I’ve gained so much more than a great group of friends, and I will miss them all. Thank you.

Mikala 🙂

Diversity

I attended the GO Diversity event directed on Wage Equality on October 5th. I agree that wage equality shouldn’t be an issue between gender, sexuality, race or ethnicity. However I am a full believer in that if you have worked for skills and decided to give an effort to further your education, than you should be rewarded for your further knowledge.

When we first talked about Diversity in our recitation, we were all asked what we thought of when we thought of the word diversity. Myself, being the farm kid I am, ” Diversified Livestock” came up. It may seem juvenile, but look at it closer. On a diversified livestock operation ( the world) , all of the animals are fed and watered in equal care by the farmer ( aka our Father). They are all very different, but the ox/ cattle pull the plow, the horses pull the carriage, the sheep are used for wool, and the chickens for eggs. Diversity is a good thing and if every part of the farm works together, and doesn’t think they are superior to each other, then we achieve something greater for everyone, not just ourselves. It works the other way around too, if the cattle don’t help plow, the others are out of grain for food, the horses don’t provide for the farmer, then the farmer wouldn’t have any way to provide for the others. I know it’s an odd combination, but we are all diversified in how we think of diversity 😉

Have a great week!

 

Mikala 🙂

One Word. Six Letters. Whole Lot of Meaning.

One Word. Six Letters. – Mikala? Alexis? Denney? Well all three of those work, but I’m thinking Hixson. What does being a Hixson mean to me? Sure it’s being paired up with two awesome peer mentors, and an even better group ( Nobody has anything on Group 4), but it means something much more than that.  There’s someone who live exactly 1,452.4 miles away who believes in me. That someone is Christina Hixson herself. Sure she is paying for half of my tuition, as well as 99 other freshman, and 300 other students at Iowa State, but to me, the money isn’t anything. It is the fact that someone who barely  knows me has faith in me, and faith in my goals that I want to achieve. Christina doesn’t know that I fell in love with bovine embryo transfer on June 16th,2012 after looking through a microscope of blastocycsts, but she believes in how not only myself, but today’s generation will change the world, in a positive way. Think about it, Christina has enough faith for 100 of us freshman, 400 Iowa State Students a year, and she has been doing this for  over 20 years. That’s not only A LOT of money, but that’s the kind of faith that I want to have for the younger generation, and for them to be as excited for their goals as I am for mine.

Have a great week!

– Mikala 🙂

The Alchemist..

Noted as one book that everyone should read, I was fortunate enough to be able to have that opportunity in class. Personally, the book was a little hard to get into because I was so busy with classes, but managed to find time to read it. It is the story of a boy and his journey to fulfill his Personal Legend. One of the main points in recitation was what our Personal Legend is. As the boys was to go to the Pyramids, I feel as if mine is a less tangible and more complex.

My personal legend is to be a legend. I want to be someone who women in the agricultural industry look up to as a role model and as someone who has broken the image of the cattle industry being predominately male orientated. I want to be someone that young women at shows look up to and think , wow, I want to be like her. I want to leave an impact on the cattle industry in a positive way, and be someone that inspires others to do the same. I don’t want to travel to Bora Bora, or see the 7 wonders of the world, I want to leave a Legacy.

Is Social Media Taking Over???

As of a week ago, I had no idea what LinkedIn was.  Now, I feel like a confident young woman who is ready to take on the world…. but I need the degree first. I was able to figure out LinkedIn and find out so much more about corporate companies that I have always dreamed about working for, such as Zoetis. I was then able to find some outstanding articles about different leadership building events, new agricultural technology, and innovative ways to build on your resume.

I believe that social media is a huge part of advocation, and one of my major lifetime goals is to ALWAYS advocate for agriculture. Without it we would all be hungry and naked. Through Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and now LinkedIn, I can advocate all I want, and hopefully be a part of changing the image of commercial farming. Most of the ways that technology are used are familiar with me, but with the rate different things are going, who knows, I could be doing a holographic interview once I graduate college!

Since #NationalFarmerDay was this week!

– Brought to you by your newest professional LinkedIn user!

Have a good week! 3 days until Friday 🙂

-Mikala 🙂

Not Just Letters…

The letters ENTJ make up Mikala. That’s nonsense! There isn’t even an e, n, t, or j in my name! According to the MBTI, Myers Brig’s Type Indicator, those letters help describe my personality though. E for Extrovert- For those of you who knew me before middle school, you would have said “No Way!”. Then came livestock judging. The wonderful event of deciding which animals were the best in a class of four, and then having to get up in front of a panel of judges and give a set of reasons, explaining why you placed them that way, without knowing if you are right or not. The first time I gave a set of reasons, I could barely get through the first sentence, and let’s be honest, it was horrible. Now I can’t even remember how many sets of reasons I’ve given, I’ve judged on county, state, and national levels, and was recruited to judge at 4 different colleges, and know many collegiate judges by a first name basis. However, sometimes I do just like sitting back and  listening, taking in the conversation, and hearing what other people are saying. I was born an introvert, but with an opportunity, and a LOT  of practice, I can start a conversation with about anyone.

The next letter, N for for Intuition. My father has taught me to look at the “big picture” growing up, and I guess I have taken it and put it into how I look at things and how I process them. I look at different ways to solve problems, and have a sense of hidden meanings of things. This is explained in my love for classic and abstract art, and a hidden passion and knack for poetry!

T is for Thinking! Even though I love using intuition I also make choices on my thinking process. I almost always make a pros and cons list before making a major decision ( you should see how many post it notes I go through!). I like to stick to the facts when I doing a homework assignment, and absolutely hate it when I’m given a math problem that doesn’t exactly follow the formula. I also have a tendency to make logical explanations for why things happen, and sometimes can come off as “cold-hearted” ( or so I have been told by my parents LOL).

Lastly, J is for Judging( Not just livestock!). One of the first bullets under Judging is to ” have things be decided”. That describes myself to a ” T”. I absolutely hate making decisions in fear of being wrong, not doing the right thing, or hurting someone. I have an obsession of making lists. Every night before I go to bed, I make a list and time chart of when I will get up, when I will get done showering/getting ready by, give myself 15 minutes to pack for the day, eat, and allow myself 15 minutes of “Social Media” time.

Even though these are the things that I leaned towards in the MBTI test, I also possess both qualities of either spectrum. I am only human, and have different experiences as others, which can shift how I look at different things. This test is a great way to help learn about yourself, but don’t define yourself by it!

I went from a shy little girl who would barely talk in class, to being successful at livestock judging not only at a county level but a national level as well!

Have a marvelous week!

Mikala 🙂

Goals, Dreams, and Bucket List Things

Some people’s goals relate to things on their bucket list, however I feel like two completely different people when I look at my long term goals, and all of the things I want to do. My grandmother, had a bucket list to visit Paris, Italy, Brazil, and Spain. She recently died the day after I graduated high school this year, and after looking back on her life she went for her goals, dreams, and everything in between. She had visited Paris 4 times, Italy 3 times, Spain twice, Brazil and Argentina. She has inspired me to live in the moment and take whatever opportunity arises.

My Bucket List:

• Go to Los Angeles and go to the Hollywood sign.
• Live in another country ( doesn’t have to be for very long)
• Go to the top of the Eiffel Tower
• Visit Claude Monet’s Gardens
• See the Northern Lights
• Go on an African Safari
• Go to Tommorowland

When you first meet me, you might never guess that I would want to visit Claude Monet’s gardens, go to a rave in Belgium ( Tommorowland), live somewhere far away from cattle, climb to the top of the Eiffel Tower, or go to Alaska to see the Northern Lights. Yes, a small town girl, who loves art, music, and adventure can dream too!

My future goals however, aren’t as exciting. Yes, everyone wants to be successful, but breaking success down into smaller goals, is how you achieve it.

My Future Goals:

• Get my Master’s / PhD in Animal Science- Bovine Reproduction
• Raise the Supreme Female at one of the Majors ( National Western, North American International Livestock Exposition, American Royal, Fort Worth Stock Show)
• LOVE MY JOB
• Live a life that will make me look back on it with no regrets

So my goals are more career oriented, but in reality, my bucket list are all goals too, and with the help of Iowa State, I’m one step closer!

-Mikala:)

A Time When I Was At My Best…

For me, there wasn’t just one whole day when I was at my best, but collectively this past summer. I was waking up before the sun was up, rinsing my show calves, walking my pigs, working on our family farm with my dad, then driving an hour Northwest from my house to work with a little girl named Hadley, and her heifer Nova. Chores took me between 4-6 hours every day, and I would be doing them twice a day. Most nights were spent in the barn, working until my shoes were soaked, knees sore, and thoughts of sleeping with my calves danced in my head.

Two weeks leading up to Hadley’s county fair, I was going over to her house everyday, working with her, her calf, and making best friends with her younger sibling ‘s Holden, Zeda, and Walker.

-Fast Forward to her county fair-

It was the morning of show day, Nova was washed, Hadley and her parents were anxious as ever, and I was getting excited. After getting her calf ready, she went into the ring and got second in her class. I was ecstatic for Hadley, and she showed her calf wonderfully. I had never seen such a young kid catch on to showing this fast, so I told her to go out for showmanship. Before the class was called, we went over some questions the judge might go over, and how to answer them.  As Hadley entered the ring, I went to the rail of the fence, and I became one of those “nervous parents”. The judge finally made his way to Hadley, and I was close enough to hear their conversation. She had nailed all of the questions! My nerves grew bigger and bigger as the judge starting talking about the class, until he said the magic words. ” There is one showman in this class who knows what SHE is talking about and can sure stick HER calf like an expert. Today’s champion is going to be the little girl all the way down at the end.”  Hadley had won! I was on the verge of tears, excitement , and was SO proud of Hadley and her accomplishment. She had done a great job, and I was so happy that I was able to have a part in teaching her every part of the way. I was so happy about Hadley and her win, I had almost lost track of time, and realized that I still had to show my heifer later in July.

– Fast Forward to My County Fair-

My heifer Mama Jo was clipped, and looked great. She got her name from my grandmother that had passed away suddenly after my graduation this year. I lost my best friend, but had gained a new one, that I named after my Grandma Jo. Our county fair is very competitive, so I wasn’t counting on anything extraordinary happening. Show day approached, and I had even bigger butterflies than watching Hadley show. I stepped in the ring for my class, and was placed first! I was ecstatic! My hard work was paying off. I then went back in for the Final Drive, with all of the other winners of the day.  After the judge over looked all of the animals again, he made his was over to me, and gave me the “Grand Champion slap”. I did it. I had accomplished something that I had been dreaming about with my grandma every since I started showing in 4th grade. To be quite honest, I started bawling.  I was filled with joy, and I knew that I had an angel watching over me that day. I walked back to my fitting stalls, and their Hadley was, with a huge smile on her face, waiting for a hug.

That is what it is all about. I was working so hard to not only for myself, but to help Hadley too. It is the relationships you make, and the people that you meet that help you become a better person, and if you’re lucky enough, you get to celebrate success with them as well.

I still get a HUGE smile on my face and a tear in my eyes to this day thinking about how I made an impact on her life, and how she made an impact on mine.

Hadley, Me, and my photo-bombing Father Doug

-Mikala 🙂

 

Opportunity Awaits

This year I was honored with the award of receiving the Christina Hixson scholarship for Des Moines County. Now rather than most scholarships, this was an opportunity award, for those who maybe haven’t had the best upbringing,  the best grades, or the most successful past. But this scholarship isn’t about your past, it’s about the opportunities in the future. So therefore, some of my posts will be stimulated questions from our Scholar classes.

-Mikala

Fields of Opportunities

” This must be heaven,” he says. ” No. It’s Iowa.” I reply automatically. – W.P Kinsella

It is the land of corn, cows, more pigs than people, but most importantly it’s my home. They call it ” Iowa- Fields of Opportunities” for a reason, and I have been extremely blessed to have had the opportunity to grow up down a dirt road called 250th Street, in the middle of nowhere, where I played in the pasture, licked the salt block, and learned about the agricultural industry from the day I could ride in the tractor.

Some might dispise this lifestyle, but without my family, and the other 2% of the population that are farmers, we’d all be hungry and naked. Agriculture is everywhere, and with some great help from a pink MacBook, and Iowa State University ( Go Cyclones!) I’ll show you a taste of it all. 🙂

– Mikala