Cooperative Extension Service Communications and Technology Department 3354 1000 E. University Ave. Laramie, WY 82071 (307) 766-2540 • fax (307) 766-3998 • ces.uwyo.edu

 

For Immediate Release

 

Contact: Robert Waggener, Editor

Phone: (307) 766-3571

E-mail: robertw@uwyo.edu

 

Date: Feb. 15, 2007

UW ag student named to All-USA academic third team

            University of Wyoming agriculture student Stacia Berry today was named to USA Today’s 2007 All-USA College Academic Third Team.

            Berry was among 60 students from four-year colleges nationwide making the top three teams, which consist of 20 students each. There were nearly 600 nominees. Coverage is in this morning’s edition of USA Today. Go to www.usatoday.com, and scroll to All-USA College All-Stars on the right side of the page.

            “Being named to the Third Team is a stellar accomplishment,” said Tracey Wong Briggs, All-USA Academic Team coordinator.

            “The program was founded 18 years ago to honor outstanding students. These are students who excel in a variety of ways academically and who extend their knowledge beyond the classroom,” she said.

            Aura Newlin, a 2002 UW music graduate from Riverton, made the First Team in 2003, and another UW graduate from Riverton, Kara Calvert (business administration), made the Second Team in 2001.

            Berry, a junior from Cheyenne, is majoring in animal and veterinary sciences in the College of Agriculture, with options in agricultural communications and business. She was nominated for the national honor by her adviser, Professor Doug Hixon, head of the Department of Animal Science.

            “Stacia is an outstanding student and an extremely accomplished young lady,” Hixon wrote in his two-page letter to USA Today. “She has provided leadership at every level of participation in which she has been involved. The amazing thing is that she continues to excel academically with all of the many time commitments outside of the classroom.”

            Berry has a near-perfect grade-point average through 79 credit hours.

            “I received a B in political science my first semester at UW,” Berry said and smiled. “I think of that B sometimes, but I try to think of it in a positive light.”

            Asked to explain that, Berry responded, “There is some value to imperfection; I believe it offers the real side of a student. Being able to balance academics with extracurricular activities sometimes will earn you a B or lower in a class.”

            Accomplishments in the classroom – and beyond – are the key components to the All-USA College Academic Team judging, Wong Briggs said.

            “Students must write essays on their most outstanding intellectual endeavors and also how they use their talents beyond the classroom,” she noted.

            Berry’s essay focused on her year spent as national FFA secretary in 2004. She and the other national officers withdrew from college that year to help educate middle and high school students around the country about personal growth, leadership and career success.

            Berry estimates she presented more than 100 workshops and delivered 90 motivational speeches across the United States that year. She helped organize a national FFA convention, wrote a curriculum for FFA leadership workshops and helped train 150 state FFA officers in leadership, communication, recruitment and agricultural issues.

            “There was one common denominator no matter where I went – the value of agriculture and what it does for absolutely everyone,” Berry said.

            “We were allowed two to three days each month at home; the rest of the time we were on the road,” Berry said. “It demanded a huge level of responsibility and personal accountability, but I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. It was phenomenal.”   

            Berry now takes her workshops and speeches to college classes and meetings on the UW campus and elsewhere to help students and others in areas of leadership, personal growth and career development.

            She is serving her second year as agriculture senator for the Associated Students of the University of Wyoming and is part of a group of UW students, administrators and faculty and staff members developing a plan to encourage students to become more involved in leadership roles and civic engagement on campus and in the Laramie community.

            “We are formalizing a way to better engage students throughout their college career here at UW,” Berry said.

            Hixon stated in his nomination letter, “Stacia is a ‘doer’ in all aspects of life.”

            That “doer” attitude started when Berry was being raised on the family ranch. She became involved with the purebred Hereford cattle operation at a young age, and she held offices for nine out of her 10 years in 4-H, the youth program of the UW Cooperative Extension Service. Leadership roles continued in high school FFA as she served as chapter vice president in Cheyenne before being elected Wyoming state FFA president in 2002.

            Along with teammates, Berry has placed in numerous agriculture-related competitions. She most recently finished in the “Final Four” at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Young Farmer & Rancher Collegiate Discussion Meet. She competed against 26 other students from around the nation Feb. 11 in Jacksonville, Fla.

            She earned a $1,000 college scholarship for placing as a national finalist.

            Berry plans to pursue a job in agriculture following graduation next year.

            “Agriculture is my passion, but right now I cannot tell you what the ideal job would be. It seems the more I experience, the more doors open,” she said.

            Berry is the daughter of Jay and Janice Berry of Cheyenne. Her two sisters are also students in the UW College of Agriculture. Jessie is a sophomore majoring in agricultural communications, and Amy is a freshman in animal and veterinary sciences with a pre-veterinary medicine option.

                Their brother, Ben, is a ninth grader in Cheyenne. Asked if he plans to attend UW, Stacia said, “We sure hope so.”

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