Diverging paths after CCHS

By Amie Johansen | amie@charlescitypress.com

Editor’s note: The Press spoke with three new graduates on their plans following Charles City High School. Brandon Childs, Hanna Bjelica and Aaron White are just a small representation of paths including higher education, military, volunteerism or employment for the class of 2016.

Brandon Childs

When high school agriculture teacher Jim Lunberg approached senior Brandon Childs about summer plans, Childs was open to Lundberg’s advice: apply for an internship with Five Star Cooperative. Childs knew his workload with a farmer would not be consistent, and the internship would give him field experience before starting college in the fall.  

“(It’s a) paid internship, with a company truck, iPad, shirts, four wheeler,” Childs said.

He will spend his summer scouting crops and working with Co-op Agronomist Derek Shedenhelm to prescribe treatments.

“(Look at plants to) see if it is a nitrate deficiency, insects, weeds, fungus, a bacteria,” Childs listed the various things he would be scouting.

Proper identification of problems is paramount to a successful harvest.

“There’s a lot on ya,” Childs said. “If you get the wrong weed…$40 an acre with 100 acres and you spray the wrong herbicide…”

Although a daunting task, Childs feels up to the challenge.

“I feel pretty confident,” he said. Part of his confidences stems from the training and orientation he has already received.

“I went down to Ames for training day,” he said. “This guys was super smart.”

Besides his orientation from a top agronomist in Ames, Childs has also worked closely with Shedenhelm.

“I shadowed Derek once or twice, he showed me where everything is,” he said.

Unlike many internships which end in spring fall with the beginning of school, Childs hopes to remain employed after he starts his Agricultural Studies coursework at NIACC.

“I might move around from Nashua to Mason City (while in school),” he said.

After NIACC, Childs will transfer to Iowa State University to complete his major and possible take on an animal science minor. Although his internship will have him in the fields, Childs prefers the animal barns.

“I’m 60-40, livestock-crops,” Childs said of his agricultural preferences. “Crops are alive but livestock have personality.”

Hanna Bjelica

Two days ago Hanna Bjelica walked across the stage and was handed her diploma. Now she has two weeks to say goodbye to friends and family, pack and prepare for a summer in Hyderabad, India.

Hyderabad is the home of the World Vegetable Research Center where Bjelica has been accepted as an intern.

“Mr. (Jim) Lundberg (high school agriculture teacher) told me about the Global Youth Institute’s World Food Prize,” Bjelica said.

Attending the Global Youth Institute made her eligible for the summer program.

“I didn’t think I’d get it,” Bjelica said.

India was Bjelica’s top choice of countries to intern.

“I got a preference of my top three countries: India, Thailand and China,” she said.

Bjelica’s passion for India stemmed from a research paper she wrote earlier in the year.

“I wrote a paper on food waste and spoilage in India,” she said. “I’ve been interested in India (ever since).”

Bjelica’s primary task while at the World Vegetable Research Center will be to study India’s third most commonly grown crop: mung beans.

“(I will research) the effect of different seed treatment methods on mung bean production,” she said.

The internship, although not paid, pays for all of Bjelica’s expenses and lasts eight weeks in length.

“(The internship ends) Aug. 13 — five days later (I leave for college),” she said.

Aaron White

While classmates head off to college, begin a life of service in the military or enter the workforce, Charles City graduate Aaron White will pack his bags and head for Colorado. There, he will begin a nine month mission program.

White first learned about the Youth With A Mission program through his church.

“I had two friends who went to it…(who were) part of my church,” he said. “They just did a mission trip.”

The first three months are a training period called Discipleship Training School — DTS, White said. After the initial three months, White will spend six months in either Africa, China, India or Indonesia to complete the rest of this mission trip.

Unlike most mission trips, White has chosen a specific type of training that will closely pertain to his career aspirations.

“I’m hoping to have my own business,” White said. “I’m doing a business DTS, and will get paired with a business.”

This mission trip will be a combination of faith and business practices.

“It’s really doing things to get real world (experience)…(and) learn to really praise Jesus through my work,” White said.

The training in Colorado will focus around studying scripture and learning to work with others of another culture.

“Kind of like a basic program for the most effective way to get people to open up to you,” White said of the training.

Once the mission trip has been completed, White will use his experiences to become a better business owner.

“Bryan (Elsbury, owner of Aroma’s) kind of inspired me to want my own coffee shop in the future,” White said.

White will leave to begin his mission Aug. 14. Once the training is completed, he will travel overseas for the duration of his mission.

“I believe I’m doing something I really need to do as a person,” he said.