Two things make the AWC Student Program successful:

Students who are excited about starting their career path with a blast of inspiration, some great direction and a network of leaders to have at their fingertips.
Industry leaders who will join us in sponsoring and supporting these students and future leaders by giving them the opportunity to attend AWC.

Ag Students and Sponsors come together at AWC!

We have received excellent applications from students who are being sponsored to attend AWC EAST 2017 and here are their videos.

Below are the links for each student’s video as well as a brief comment from them as to why they feel attending the conference would be of benefit to them.

Applicants + Sponsors

Kristen Alves:

“As I approach the end of my Ph.D. program, attending the Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference would provide me with the opportunity to create new business contacts, and connect with potential future colleagues. I feel the opportunity to speak directly with women in all sectors of the agricultural industry would be an excellent platform to gain new insight into my future as I plan to pursue a career in the genetic improvement of livestock research and teaching. I believe the AWC will teach me valuable skills for my future, and I hope to be able to encourage and inspire other young females to pursue a career in agriculture upon my return.”
-Kristen Alves, Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Guelph

Bethany Asmundson:

“I am very interested in attending the Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference, as this would be an amazing opportunity to expand my network in the agriculture sector. This conference would also provide an environment in which I would get to meet, engage and listen to this year’s keynote speakers that are remarkable, trail-blazing leaders in the industry. I hope that this opportunity will further enhance my leadership and communication skill leading up to my future career. In addition, I am confident this experience will motivate me to incorporate what I have learned in Niagara Falls along with my previous knowledge to continue playing a part in agriculture’s cutting-edge science. At the end of this conference, I will walk away with a strong sense of pride and I hope to be a role model to future generations of girls considering a career in agriculture.”
-Bethany Asmundson, Plant Biotechnology, University of Manitoba

Melina Audette:

“Attending the Advancing Women Conference would be an amazing opportunity to develop a foundation of skills used in my future career in crop breeding. I am very interested in attending to develop networking skills, meet women in my field and learn about opportunities for women in agriculture. I believe this conference will further my passion for agriculture, my dedication to making a difference in plant biotechnology research and guide me in my career as a woman in the agriculture industry.”
–Melina Audette, Plant Biotechnology, University of Manitoba

Emily Boonstra:

“I truly believe that learning from established industry leaders is one of the best ways to gain knowledge as a young adult seeking direction in life. As amazing as the agriculture industry is, I do think that there is a minority of women representing the industry. However, not only will this conference be a great networking opportunity but it will also be a great opportunity to learn as a young woman, the importance of our place in ag and how we can change the predominantly male population so that more young women will feel comfortable in pursuing their agricultural dreams.”
–Emily Boonstra, B.Sc. Agriculture – Animal Systems, University of Manitoba

Kithma De Silva:

“I consider myself as a young, hardworking candidate, who is having an agriculture based research experience in a few different countries in the world. Therefore, I am highly interested to attend the Advancing Women Conference which will create a great platform for young scientists like us to share the experiences and ideas among others. I strongly believe that, the knowledge which I will be gaining from this conference, would be benefited to find out my potentials in the field of agriculture. This also will be a great foundation for my future career as a researcher. Currently my major interest is on the haskap (Lonicera caerulea L.) which is a novel berry crop in Canada, and its health benefits. Through this conference, I would be able to meet experts on haskap related studies and the knowledge would be benefited for me to perform my MSc. project successfully. Therefore, I would be much grateful if you could kindly offer me a sponsorship for this marvelous opportunity which I consider as a dream of my life.”
–Kithma De Silva, Masters in Agriculture, Dalhousie University

Patricia Fawley:

“I am interested in attending the conference as it would be a great opportunity to meet other women with the same passions and education backgrounds. This would benefit my career objective by networking thus enabling contact info for future reference to gain other’s perspectives and knowledge to continue my learning and understanding of operations even after I graduate because I firmly believe you are never too old to continue to learn.”
-Patricia Fawley, Animal Systems in Agriculture, University of Manitoba

Christine Flaherty:

“As a young adult looking to make a living in the agriculture industry, I think learning from the various impressive women at this conference could be a priceless experience. I am looking to develop a career in the nutritional sector of animal livestock, but I want to learn to be a leader in my career the same way I’ve been a leader in my athletics. I’m particularly interested in Sherry Lees’ presentation, “Leadership Lessons Learned” which I think could have an immediate and lasting impact on how I try to succeed.”
–Christine Flaherty, Animal Biology, University of Guelph

Nicole French:

“By attending the Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference I hope to be able to not only gain a better understanding of the agriculture industry and all the opportunities for women in it but also gain valuable skills that will help me further my career.”
-Nicole French, Kinesiology, Brock University

Adelle Gervin:

“I want to attend this event because I know the agriculture industry is booming, and it is our generation that is going to have to take the lead and make agriculture even better. It will be so inspiring to be surrounded by like-minded students and industry role models that share the same passion as I do. Hopefully this event will open up a few doors for me as I near graduation. I truly believe women are taking over agriculture and I would love to be a part of that and learn along the way.”
-Adelle Gervin, B. Sc. (Ag.) Animal Systems, University of Manitoba

Rebecca Knight:

“As a young woman and student who is about to finish a degree in agriculture I strongly believe connections with industry leaders, other women and students who share the same passion for agriculture is incredibly valuable. To see, hear from and learn from such strong, extraordinary women would be empowering. I know that as I start and work through my career there will be challenges and I feel that this conference would provide me with skills and tools I need to help work through those.”
-Rebecca Knight, Agricultural and Food Sciences, Agronomy, University of Manitoba

Stephanie Lam:

“As a woman aiming to work in the agricultural industry, I expect the conference would be beneficial to me as it can provide resources and opportunities to improve leadership, mentorship, independence in the work field. Additionally, this conference would provide opportunities to network and build relationships with other female leaders or upcoming leaders in the agricultural industry in various ag fields (crop science, livestock science, business, etc.). Attending the Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference would be a gratifying and defining experience in my academic career as I aim to take on a career in the industry and to help improve the Canadian agricultural industry.”
-Stephanie Lam, Ph.D. Beef and Dairy Cattle Functional Genomics, University of Guelph

Kaitlyn Lawson:

“The Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference is of interest to me as women are vastly underrepresented in this male dominated field. As a woman studying agriculture and aspiring to pursue a career in agriculture, I believe it is important to have mentors and make connections with women who have similar passions, interests, and goals. Attending the AWC would provide me with the opportunity to make these important connections. Ideally, my career objective is to work in the agriculture industry in a position which combines my passions for animal health and aspirations of becoming a large animal veterinarian, with my interests in research and academia. I expect the conference to benefit my career objective as it will allow me to connect with industry partners, and women who are involved in fields in which I am interested. The workshops offered at this conference will aid in the personal, professional, and academic development of myself and all other women at the conference.”
-Kaitlyn Lawson, Masters of Science, Animal Nutrition, University of Guelph

Leah McDonald:

“I truly believe that the key to success is to continually learn and grow. I strongly feel that being able to attend the Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference will not only help my career goals but also give me the skills to develop into a successful leader in the agriculture industry. I recognize the value of networking and creating connections in the Ag industry. I would be honored to attend this conference to learn from these women and how they embraced the challenges that women in agriculture may face and I want to be inspired by other women and to learn and grow from those who are also passionate about the ag industry in Canada. I’m looking forward to making life long contacts at the conference that will help me with my career objectives. Listening and learning from these strong women is truly an inspiration. I was born in the city but my roots are strongly tied to agriculture and I aspire to be a future leader in agriculture.”
-Leah McDonald, Agriculture, University of Manitoba

Katherine McNeill:

“To have a career in Agriculture, you need to always be learning and be ready to take risks. As it turns out, women are great at this. The idea of spending time with a group of like-minded, powerful women in an industry that I am passionate about is about as good as it gets. I want to build my own agri-food business someday and this conference will be an amazing place to build a network and relationships for the future. Hearing stories, participating in workshops and just having conversations will allow me to grow as a business woman and entrepreneur. This conference will also provide me with potential employment opportunities in new sectors that I have not previously worked in. I want to learn and gain as much experience as possible and AWC East is the perfect place to do so. I want to be part of a group of women working together to reach their goals and make a positive impact on the future of agriculture.”
-Katherine McNeill, International Food Business, Dalhousie University

Hanne Nauwelaerts:

“Although I currently remain unsure of my exact future career plans, I am certain I want to pursue a career within the agriculture industry. I am very passionate about agriculture, as evident through my education and work experience, I therefore hope to obtain career advice and networking connections. I am hoping that this conference will allow me to network with industry experts, as I am very willing to learn from business and industry representatives. I plan to use the information that I learn at the conference throughout my future career.”
-Hanne Nauwelaerts, Bachelor of Commerce, Food and Agricultural Business, University of Guelph

Kelsey Owen:

“I am interested in attending the conference because I believe that promoting women in agriculture is really important. I truly believe that women can and are doing whatever they want and I would like to meet these confident women. This program would benefit me because I am very new in the agriculture industry and could use all of the guidance that these women have to share. I also believe that they can teach many aspects for how to be successful in my own farming and how to be a confident advocate for women in this industry.”
-Kelsey Owen, Diploma in Agriculture, University of Guelph

Elsie Richmond:

“I am interested in attending the Advancing Women Conference to network with inspirational and successful women that share my passion for agriculture. Being a professional woman brings unique experiences to the world of agriculture and I want to find mentors that can share their experiences navigating a male-dominated industry. My career goal is to complete my doctorate in agricultural economics; I believe attending this conference will provide me with the opportunity to connect with mentors that have pioneered a place for young women like me to thrive in the agricultural industry.”
-Elsie Richmond, BA – Food Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Guelph

Melanie Roulin:

“I’m interested in attending the conference to listen and meet other women in the agricultural field, experiences and lessons they’ve learned that I will be able to apply to future career challenges. I think it would be an amazing opportunity to learn and grow both as a student and a woman in agriculture.”
–Melanie Roulin, Degree in Animal Systems, University of Manitoba

Sarah Tymchak:

“Attending the Advancing Women Conference will help me make connections and to find a mentor. There is plenty for me to continue learning and the conference would expose me to a vast amount of knowledge that would help me both as a student and farmer. The conference is not only an investment in myself and my future, but it equips me to give back to my community and university. A large portion of agriculture is the spread of knowledge and ideas, and the Advancing Women Conference can facilitate that.”
-Sarah Tymchak, Animal Science, University of Saskatchewan

Melissa Williams:

“The Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference is of interest to me in order to view the possible future career options for myself and the ability to network with other women in the industry. I expect this conference to provide optimal networking opportunities for future communication and mutual benefit as well as many speakers showing insight to multiple facets of their specific sectors of the industry. The workshops provided will aid in the growth, development and learning of not only myself, but all who attend the conference.”
-Melissa Williams, Masters by Thesis – Animal Nutrition, University of Guelph

Allison Witzel:

“I had the privilege of attending the Advancing Women in Ag conference this past March in Calgary, and this was one of the highlights during my time out west. It was a great experience to network, be inspired and connect with others who share similar passions, triumphs and struggles. I feel that AWC would benefit me even more during this stage in life as I navigate through various career opportunities. It will allow me to grow, develop and learn. I hope to take what I learn, share it with others and be a leader in a male dominated industry.”
–Allison Witzel, AgriBusiness Degree, Olds College