Alumni Spotlight
Name: Kaleb Little
Current Title: CEO and Executive Director
Organization: Kansas Soybean Association and Kansas Soybean Commission
Majors: B.S. Agricultural Communications and Journalism 2009
K-State College of Ag is proud to recognize alumni from all departments who continue to pursue their passion in their respective fields. It is through experience that we continue to grow as individuals and stewards of the industry. Through those experiences, we hope to be a continued resource for the next generation of K-State students to lean on for advice and continue to build our network!
What advice would you give your college self if you knew where you'd be today? What would you say to encourage prospective students to consider the K-State College of Ag communications major?
Just enjoy it. That time here in Manhattan on campus as a student is so unique and so special. You're going to create some really cool opportunities, meet some great people, and build a network of folks. It's a real network that you can use that is super valuable. Never stop growing that network and never stop working to grow and cultivate those relationships. Getting to work with people that you know and trust on a regular basis is great.
I think the communications major is super helpful, and it applies to so many positions in the workspace. When I was at K-State, I really had in my head that I was going to be a writer. That's not really where my career path took me. I got into the association space and had more of a public relations role there. But to me, it's a super versatile degree. Being able to communicate well with people really equips you to think outside the box. If you have a passion for agriculture and you're looking for a way to get involved, and you don't know exactly what your career path looks like or where it might take you, I would strongly consider an ag communications degree. Especially here at K-State.
Why do you feel like it’s important for organizations like the Soybean Commission to step up and support projects like the Ag Innovation Initiative?
Our mission on that research, education, and market development piece is so important and such a core component of what the Soybean Checkoff does. So when the university brought this opportunity to us, it was pretty easy because it fits so well into our mission and vision is as an organization. Looking at not only the short-term investments that the checkoff makes in the research side here at K-State in the agronomy department but really looking at the long-term health to make sure that our brick-and-mortar matches the talent level that we have here at K-State. We've seen so much great work and advancement in agriculture, and it has had such a big impact on our state. To really reinvest back into that infrastructure to make sure that we're one of the best land-grant universities in the country is vitally important now, especially in the current climate of research and education funding.
Why is it important in today's future workplace to look at training people through Kansas State University and through this Ag Innovation Initiative in some of these areas?
I think it's really important in all walks of life, but especially in agriculture, to be more than one-dimensional. I think the days of graduating a student who has an agronomy degree, for example, that doesn’t know anything else about business or economics have passed. It's exciting to see that the College of Agriculture here at K-State is really looking to develop a future student that the industry wants. These investments aren't just brick and mortar, but they're being very thoughtful at the university level and at the college level. We want to really rethink, reshape, and take this opportunity to put out the best students that K-State possibly can.
Why did you pick Ag Communications at K-State, and how has it helped you get to where you are today professionally?
Growing up in a small town in northeast Kansas just up the road from Manhattan here in Rossville my grandparents on both sides of my family farmed, but my parents had jobs off the farm. I grew up in 4-H and active in those types of activities in the community. So for me, I knew I wanted to do something in agriculture because I saw how important it was and how passionate my family was about it. But I knew going back and farming myself wasn't going to be an opportunity. So, K-State was an easy answer for me. Getting into the College of Agriculture I was able to find my niche of what I was good at and what I liked. To me telling the story of agriculture, just fit perfectly with what I wanted to do.
I think the ag communications major is super helpful and it applies to so many positions. When I was at K-State, I really had in my head that I was going to be a writer. I was going to write for one of the ag publications that are out there. That's not really where my career path took me. I really got into the association space and more of a public relations mix there. But to me ag communications is a super versatile degree. Being able to communicate well with people, in writing emails, in interviews, etc. it really equips you to think outside the box. It almost increases your self-awareness, in the office and in that type of a career position which can be super versatile. If you have a passion for agriculture and you're looking for a way to get involved and maybe you don't know exactly what your career path looks like or where it might take you I would strongly consider an ag communications degree especially at K-State.