For Immediate Release
Contact: Daniel Wackershauser, Marketing Specialist
Phone: 608.822.2303
Mail: 1800 Bronson Blvd., Fennimore, WI 53809
Date of Release: February 12, 2021
Hillebrand chosen for Pork Mentorship Program
Fennimore -Mia Hillebrand, Lone Rock, Wisconsin, is one of four students throughout Wisconsin who have been selected as the next class of participants in Wisconsin Pork Association’s Pork Mentorship Program. Hillebrand is a first-year student in the Agriculture Business and Technology – Animal Science program at Southwest Wisconsin Technical College.
The pork mentorship program, which has a strong focus on career development, is designed to expand students’ knowledge of the swine industry, provide opportunities to network with pork industry leaders, help identify future career goals, and create valuable connections with potential employers.
Mia Hillebrand
“I got involved in agriculture at the young age of six, raising and showing pigs at the River Valley School Fair, one of the last standing school fairs in the state,” said Hillebrand. “I did not grow up on a farm, however, I grew up five miles down the road from my grandpa’s third-generation dairy farm in Clyde, Wisconsin. I then grew my agricultural involvement in getting involved in organizations such as 4H (K-12), FFA (8th-present), PAS (present), and expanding my livestock to boar meat goats.”
Hillebrand plans to graduate from Southwest Tech in May 2022 and continue her education at UW-Platteville, where she will earn a bachelor’s degree in agriculture education. “My career plans involve me teaching and inspiring the future of agriculture at the middle and high school level,” she said.
The opportunity Hillebrand will have through the Pork Mentorship Program, is one that she is excited about. “I hope to learn more about the pork industry as a whole through this amazing opportunity at the Wisconsin Pork Association,” she said. “I will be participating in Word and Wisconsin Pork Convention, Wisconsin State Fair Chop Shop, job shadows, and special projects.”
Now through the end of 2021, the students will complete a series of job shadows and attend both state and national pork industry events including World Pork Expo and the Wisconsin State Fair. They will also take part in WPA meetings and complete a special project.
Any individuals or businesses interested in offering job shadow opportunities to the pork mentorship program participants or would like to become involved in this program in another way, can contact the WPA office at 608-723-7551 or email lbrinkman@wppa.org.
The mission of the Wisconsin Pork Association is to promote and protect the state’s pork industry in order to ensure its success now and in the future.
To learn more about the Southwest Tech agriculture programs, visit, www.swtc.edu/agriculture.
| Southwest Wisconsin Technical College is one of 16 institutions that comprise the Wisconsin Technical College System. Southwest Tech offers more than 60 programs in a wide variety of disciplines. Courses are offered on campus, online and in a blended format. The college provides apprenticeship, certificate, technical diploma, and associate degree programs that respond to district workforce needs and prepare student for family-sustaining jobs and career advancement. |