Hope

I was raised in an agriculture-rich community, surrounded by beautiful green hills, dairy farms, vineyards, and livestock. For the majority of my childhood I was never more than a mile from some sort of farm. But I had no background in agriculture whatsoever. Even with all these opportunities right in my backyard, I never thought twice about venturing out to explore them.

I think this is the case for many people. We take our land for granted and we forget to appreciate the hard work it takes to bring us the things we need. So how did I become a Dairy Princess? When I was in high school, one of my classes toured a nearby dairy... and I fell in love. Immediately I started work on the very same dairy, selling cheese, teaching customers how to milk cows, and giving tours of the farm. I now work at one of the local creameries selling the same cheese. But what is most exciting is that my family recently moved out to the very same dairy I toured that day years ago.

I may come from a very different background than many of the people involved in this industry, but I have no doubt that I want to remain a part of it for the rest of my life. An 18-year-old is unsure of many things, but whom she admires, for what she aspires, and where she calls home is perfectly clear. You see, every day I am inspired by the work that goes on around me here at the farm. For that reason, I am honored to represent this industry and I hope that my year as Dairy Princess will inspire others, like myself, to become involved in this community. I am attending California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, majoring in foreign language and agriculture business in hopes of someday entering the international dairy industry.