Page 3 - Impact Fall 2021

WHY I GIVE TO CFANS
By Trey O’Bryan, BS Agricultural and Food Business Management, ʼ17; member of the CFANS Dean’s Circle Graduates of the Last Decade (GOLD); currently a commodity merchant at Cargill
I choose to give back to CFANS
and the University of Minnesota as
an alumnus because I view it as a way
to “pay it forward” and hopefully help build a
positive experience for others. As a first-generation student from rural Minnesota, attending college was both very difficult and intimidating, and if it wasn’t for CFANS, I don’t know if I would have graduated or if I would have been blessed with the opportunities I have since been presented with. For me, CFANS represents three things.
1. Positive, life-changing relationships
2. A framework to explore your interests and identify
your passions
3. An academic environment that becomes a foundation for
career success
CFANS provided faculty and staff that have positively impacted my life — I think particularly of Liz Hruska, an advisor who helped prevent me from dropping out my freshman year and has since been a great friend and mentor.
CFANS provided me with a framework that allowed me to explore my interests while accelerating my academic progress. As an undergraduate, I was able to travel and study abroad affordably and participate in student groups that encourage diversity of thought and provide “real-world” professional experiences. For me, some of those experiences were relevant to the career I ended up choosing and some weren’t, but all provided valuable learning experiences.
Finally, CFANS provided a rigorous and relevant classroom environment that helped me be competitive professionally immediately upon graduation. While I was challenged, I always felt supported by my professors and advisors and knew academic success was achievable.
Ultimately, I volunteer in the hopes that other students can find the same community and success that I did. CFANS is a great organization that I consider myself lucky to be an alumnus of, and I am happy to give back to that organization today.
The Land Grant Legacy Scholars (LGLS) Program is a student success and scholarship program that supports students from Greater Minnesota (outside of the seven-county metro area) who are admitted to CFANS. LGLS offers a four-year experience
that includes targeted, programmatic elements designed to support students during their time at the U of M and build community through a cohort model,
as well as a financial scholarship worth $20,000 over four years.
Through this programming and scholarship support, this unique program benefits students academically, personally, and financially as they pursue their CFANS degree.
“CFANS is uniquely poised to help our graduates address the grand challenges that we face as a society,” said CFANS Dean Brian Buhr. “We are committed to playing a role in making this institution and all of the colleges and campuses more accessible to students from all
87 counties."
EMPOWERING STUDENTS FROM GREATER MINNESOTA
When you give to CFANS on "Give to the Max Day" on November 18 (and beyond), consider contributing to the LGLS Program.
STUDENT SUPPORT
$50.4 MILLION