Alumni Spotlight

Name: Kathy Sargent

Current Title: Vice President of Baking Technology and Commercialization

Organization: Bimbo Bakeries

Major: B.S. Bakery Science and Management (2004), M.S. Food Science and Industry (2006)

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!

Why K-State College of Agriculture and what made you choose Bakery Science as your major?

I was one of those high school seniors who struggled with what to do next after graduation. I knew I liked math and science and was strong in both areas of study. I also knew that I enjoyed baking as a hobby and it was my creative outlet. I used to make cakes for friends and family and take baked goods to church and loved to entertain. When I started my career search I struggled with what direction I wanted to go. I didn't have the stomach for medicine, and that's the direction science and math were leading me in. I was looking at nutrition, exercise and science, trying to figure out what would be the best fit for me in the long run. While I was going through the decision-making process, I had a friend who was going into bakery science and I asked, “What's that? Tell me more.” I got so lucky it was a wonderful fit because it had the creative outlet I enjoy, and it's a bigger industry. There's a retail level, but it's more connected to the sciences where I could do a lot of chemistry. I’m lucky to have found this degree and be part of this industry.

How has your time at K-State impacted your current career?

I went through my freshman year working at a bakery and I assumed I would go home and hang out with my parents and my friends for the summer. However, I soon realized there were great professional opportunities in my field and I had an opportunity to get an internship. At first, I was surprised to get an internship, but I’m really glad I did. my advisor nominated me for the internship when I was a freshman. Starting internships right after your freshman year is beneficial because they offer good pay and valuable experience. You also make important connections that will help you throughout your career. Throughout my internships, I got various opportunities that exposed me to different areas of my future profession. My internships offered unique experiences and I got to see a lot of parts of the business work with different styles of career paths.

The summer before starting graduate school, I joined an ingredient company and it was a completely different environment. I saw the type of work they do at the labs, how they worked with ingredients and general types of research and saw the full scope of the company. Before I went into my own job search I was actually recommended by my advisor for the position at the ingredient company which was a surprise to me. Our bakery science advisors were very involved in recognizing talent and pairing up positions and opportunities for all of the students to get out into the industry early and often.

Also, there was a lot of industry presence on campus. Industry representatives are often visiting, doing presentations or feeding us pizza and that continues today. I get to do that as a professional now and go back to K-State.

What surprised you most during your time at K-State?

I was wonderfully surprised by the career opportunities and the impact that having a degree in bakery science and food science opened up for me. I was surprised when I sat in class and I was often in classes with pre-veterinary medicine and pre-medicine students. A lot of my classmates and current partners in the industry are chemical engineers. It's an industry that is tremendously important. It is still evolving all the time as we go through it. How do we feed a growing population? How do we look at sustainable agricultural practices and ingredients focused on nutrition and what does that mean for consumers and having affordable food for all? We're tackling what artificial intelligence is going to mean to our industry and manufacturing. The food industry is very innovative and constantly evolving. When starting your career you might start in research like I did and then move into more of a business role.

What sets K-State apart from other educational institutions?

There is such a great synergy for the College of Agriculture since both the grain science and food science programs are on campus. Even though the degrees are separate, they complement each other well and many students have the opportunity to receive dual degrees. For example, Call Hall Dairy Bar brings dairy, meat and grain science goods to sell and it creates a great synergy showing off everything K-State and the College of Ag offers.

K-State clubs and the experience they give students are equally important as formal education. Clubs are where we first got our real exposure and hands-on experience with some leadership. The internships are fantastic but it's also the network you build. Some of my closest friends are now industry partners as well because it's a tight-knit community and we all go out and start our careers and continue to support one another.