NCTA Discovery Day is March 2 in Curtis

Feb. 20, 2020

By Mary Crawford, NCTA News

CURTIS, Neb. – High school students seeking unique learning opportunities as part of their academic portfolio in college are invited to “Discovery Day” on March 2 at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture.

“Our Aggie students and professors always enjoy Discovery Day – a day filled with tours, conversations and fun – as they share their experiences in agriculture and veterinary technology studies at NCTA,” said Jennifer McConville, NCTA associate dean.

Discovery Day’s new format first brings students to the Education Center for registration at 9 a.m., a short briefing by academic department chairs, and a “discovery fair” in the main lobby.

Two campus visits to NCTA during 2019 drew Keegan Jones of Laurel, Maryland to enroll in the Veterinary Technology program.

“My grandpa told me about NCTA while I was attending a community college in Maryland,” says Jones. He’d read of NCTA in a magazine and knew a graduate from a few decades back.

“I visited a couple of times and saw that NCTA had a program I found very interesting,” Keegan said, enrolling for fall classes and completing a 10-day winter session study tour with the NCTA Safari Club to Costa Rica.

At Discovery Day, current Aggies will have displays on clubs and teams, such as Safari Club, Collegiate Cattlemen, and Agribusiness Club. Students can earn academic credits through travel or competitions teams in rodeo, ranch horse, livestock or crops judging, stock dogs, and shotgun sports.

McConville said an afternoon panel of Aggies are hosting a Q-and-A session about production agriculture, agronomy, agribusiness management, veterinary technology, ag equipment, animal science and equine industry management programs.

Student ambassadors lead campus tours to residence halls, animal and livestock facilities, academic areas, plus recreation or wellness facilities.

During student tours, parents will attend a session on federal financial aid (FAFSA) with Andrew Hunzeker of Education Quest. Events adjourn by 2 p.m. 

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

Guests and students can also view the final day for an exhibition, “Elders: Character Over Time,” by Chuck Schroder of Eagle, Nebraska. His art is in the main lobby of the Education Center.

The next Discovery Day targeting high school juniors is Monday, April 6.

All interested students, regardless of year in school, are invited to attend any Discovery Day event, said McConville.