Building college and career connections through FFA leadership

February 22, 2024
Tyler Ratka

TYLER RATKA, B.S. ANIMAL SCIENCE

I am a freshman at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities where I am majoring in Animal Science. I grew up in town until I was a 6th grader, and my family now lives in the country where we house a few show heifers that my siblings and I show throughout the year. In addition to serving as Minnesota FFA State Vice President, I enjoy farming, showing dairy cattle and spending time with friends.

I chose to attend CFANS because of the small and tight knit community on the St. Paul campus. I also saw the great networking opportunities on campus with other students, staff, and alumni in my career field.  

My experiences as an FFA leader have greatly shaped my experience in college. I came to college knowing a lot of people that were also in FFA and had already built many connections. 

I feel that the most positive effect from my time in FFA in terms of my career goals has been building connections. I have met so many career professionals and developed strong relationships that will help me in job searches and networking.
My FFA experiences have also guided me to get involved in leadership roles on campus and join many clubs and organizations such as Gopher Dairy Club and Alpha Gamma Rho, to name a few. FFA has also provided me with a lot of hands-on learning through career and leadership development events as well as agriculture classes.
 
Tyler studies animal science at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. His career goal is to work in consulting with dairy farmers in either nutrition or genetics.

CFANS celebrates National FFA Week from Feb. 17-24, 2024. FFA is the premier youth organization preparing members for leadership and careers in the science, business and technology of agriculture.