Hometown: Born and raised in Riverdale, California

My dairy background: I have one sister, Tricia, and my parents are Brad and Blair. When my great-great grandfather moved to the Riverdale and Laton area, he owned a small dairy farm milking about 50 cows. The dairy cows were sold long before I was born.

But more than 130 years later, my parents still farm on the same land growing alfalfa hay, corn, wheat and walnuts.

Year in school and area of study: I'm a senior at Cal Poly University – San Luis Obispo studying dairy science with a concentration in both dairy manufacturing and dairy production.

If I wasn’t studying agriculture/dairy, I would be ... employed in the agriculture industry or working with the family catering business.

I have been a member of the dairy club for ... three years.

I joined our club because ... I wanted to meet people with a similar interest in dairy and gain more knowledge from other students’ experiences.

One of the hardest-working or most well-known members of the club is ... our officer team because these dedicated and involved individuals spend hours on end planning every banquet, meeting and activities, all while encouraging active participation from the dairy club members.

My favorite club event is ... our college’s Open House event because it includes our annual fundraiser of selling milkshakes, as well as our Fit and Show contest. Dairy club members spend three to four weeks in the Dairy Cattle Selection, Breeds, Fitting, and Showing class with Dr. Stan Henderson, learning how to halter break, show and fit their cattle before they demonstrate in the show ring the skills they’ve learned. Family and friends come to watch this event and it is rewarding to see their hard work in the class pay off.

An influential alumni whom I’ve met through the club is ... one of our dairy professors, Dr. Leanne Berning.She is extremely knowledgeable about the dairy industry and serves as a professor, friend and campus mom to her students. With her broad experience in the industry, she offers some of best advice and has helped many students succeed – not only in their college careers but in their professional careers as well.

I hope my legacy as president will be ... to promote more active membership and start new traditions that will encourage members to participate more.

My advice to all dairy students is ... find your true passion. The dairy industry is very diverse and offers a broad spectrum of jobs from the farm to the plant. Take as many internships as you can to get some great experience in the industry. Just get your name out there and start to build your own network.

My future involvement in the dairy industry will include … working in a dairy manufacturing facility in the quality assurance profession. PD

Los Lecheros Dairy Club
1326 Mill St.
California Polytechnic State University
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
(559) 639-9002

Members: 93

Number of students in leadership roles or on executive committee: 10

Biggest fundraiser and/or club event: Selling milkshakes at a booth during Cal Poly’s Open House event.

Club mission: The purpose of the Los Lecheros Dairy Club is to support the dairy industry through academic and social activities within the dairy science department at California Polytechnic State University.