New format for NCTA Discovery Day November 18

Nov. 11, 2019

By Mary Crawford, NCTA News

A parent-student visitation event at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis brings a new format to the Aggie “Discovery Day” on Monday, Nov. 18^th.

Sessions begin at 9 a.m., for an overview of four divisions - agribusiness management, agronomy/ag mechanics, animal science/ag education, and veterinary technology.

Then, students and parents will go their separate ways for break-out sessions, said Casey Gathje, assistant recruiting coordinator.

“Students will hear from a panel of students, have interactive activities, and learn about our Aggie clubs and teams,” said Gathje, an NCTA graduate in diversified agriculture and agronomy.

“I think students will have a lot of questions for our Aggie student ambassadors, and will learn quite a bit about programs outside of the classroom, too, such as clubs, teams, campus jobs, residence life and support from our Curtis community,” Gathje added.

Parents will focus on a financial aid program by Andrew Hunzeker of EducationQuest and take campus tours. A combined luncheon provides time for another a question-answer session.

Current livestock management freshman Jake Jenkins said a Discovery Day one year ago, while a senior at Kimball High School, was quite helpful.

"I was looking into colleges and heard about NCTA through my mom,” he said. “I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do exactly.”

Now at mid-semester, Jenkins says “it’s a good fit for me” due to the familiar small-town feel, hands-on activities, and classes matching his emphasis on livestock.

“The courses I take really fit the kids coming from the smaller schools and from the background of what we want to learn,” Jenkins added.

“Since I know most about beef cattle and feedlots, it is interesting to me to learn about other species like swine, and diversified ag.”

His advice to potential students attending an NCTA Discovery Day?

“I suggest keeping your eyes open and ask lots of questions … You have time to tour, see which programs you want to go to and find out what activities you might enjoy,” Jenkins said.

Pre-registration is requested for the lunch at https://ncta.unl.edu/discovery-days.

Discovery Days will be March 2, 2020 with “Junior Day” on April 6, 2020.