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Kelseyville High grad among college students honored at State Capitol
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – A Kelseyville High School graduate was among 18 Cal Poly students recognized for their awards and other accomplishments by lawmakers on the floors of the state Assembly and Senate in Sacramento on Monday, Feb. 12.
Blair Brookes, 21, a 2014 Kelseyville High grad, was among the honorees, school officials said.
The students were accompanied to the ceremonies by university President Jeffrey D. Armstrong, who said they were amongst the school’s best and brightest as well as campus leaders.
Each student distinguished him- or herself as an individual or on a team that has received a national industry award or in other high-profile events, including the Tournament of Roses Parade, with its worldwide TV audience of 100 million, and the concrete canoe team that won the national championship.
University officials said the students met with Sen. Bill Monning and received ceremonial resolutions on the floors of the Assembly and Senate.
Brookes was part of Cal Poly’s National Agri-Marketing Association Team that won the the National Agri-Marketing Association’s student marketing competition last April.
The contest challenges students from 40 universities to develop marketing plans for brand-new products. Brookes estimates she and her teammates spent 5,000 hours over six months developing and honing the winning proposal.
The year 2017 was a busy year for the agribusiness senior who will complete her studies in March and begin work at Dow AgroSciences.
In addition to numerous student competitions and receiving an American FFA Degree in October, she oversaw last year’s Ag Showcase, a career fair for the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences.
The Agribusiness Management/National Agricultural Marketing Association Club expanded the job fair to two days to accommodate a record 100 companies. The club was able to award $20,000 in scholarships from company sponsorships.
As this year’s club president, Brookes co-directed the January event and expects the club will have “at least $30,000” in scholarship funds available.
She is proud to represent Cal Poly in Sacramento because of its Learn by Doing philosophy. “As a student studying agriculture, it is crucial to get hands on experience that you can later apply to your career in industry,” she said. “I am so glad I chose to attend Cal Poly and for all of the experiences I have had. Being selected to represent all of these hard working, talented people is incredibly humbling.”
She added, “I am so grateful to be able to represent an accomplishment that is so much bigger than myself,” said Brookes. “My six additional teammates all are champions. Our win also wouldn’t have been possible without our coach, Dr. Lindsey Higgins. Being selected to represent all of these hard working, talented people is incredibly humbling.”
The group of students also greeted family, friends and alumni at a reception in San Jose on Feb. 11.