Students place at national ag event

Other individual awards included Arellano's third-place mark in career planning, Devin Self's fifth-place showing in vet tech/animal health and Hayes' seventh-place finish in agriculture communication and marketing.

Arellano, a Gainesville, Georgia, resident who earned an associate degree in agriculture-poultry science this spring, is planning to pursue a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies from UNG. She is a quality assurance manager at Trilogy Foods in Gainesville and said the National PAS event was a great opportunity.

"It felt like being around people who support growth and improvement. There was a strong focus on learning beyond the classroom," Arellano said. "I was able to learn about leadership, teamwork and professional development."

The national competition fits into a broader story of UNG supporting Arellano as she leads others.

"I want to improve food safety and mentor others in the industry," Arellano said. "UNG has really taught me resilience, communication and problem-solving skills. This experience has encouraged me to think more critically and keep developing my career goals."

Dr. Linda Purvis, associate professor of biology, agriculture and poultry science, was grateful to be able to take six students this year in UNG's second trip to the National PAS event. UNG is the only school in Georgia with a PAS chapter. Students were also able to take part in equine, landscape and turf management, and wildlife industry tours in Missouri while at the conference.

"They were able to compete in things related to their careers, and we had a lot of success in these events," Purvis said. "We're excited to see how we can build off what we did this year and grow from there."