Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication, Department of
Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications
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Document Type
Article
Date of this Version
2025
Citation
The Agricultural Education Magazine 93:1 (2025), pp. 17–20
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Abstract
What if students could see themselves not just as learners but as future business owners, community leaders, and innovators? That was the idea behind Local Roots, Global Minds, a hands-on semester project designed to connect students to their communities while helping them explore real-world career paths.
In a rural Nebraska high school, students weren’t just studying plant science. They were brainstorming business ideas, talking to local professionals, and thinking critically about their community needs, which in turn allowed them the opportunity to see how a future in their agricultural-based community could be accomplished.
Local Roots, Global Minds was a Work-Based Learning project I implemented during my student teaching experience in a plant science class. The project challenged students to apply the knowledge and skills they had learned in class to develop their own business concepts. Students were guided through the process of creating a comprehensive business plan by completing individual components in stages. Each part built upon the last, culminating in a fully developed business proposal by the end of the semester.
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