News

By Emma Geldart

“Don’t close yourself off from anything because you never know what you might enjoy.”

Sarah Morse (Class of ’15) practiced and preaches this advice. After exploring different academic options and practicing new skills through 4-H, she finally found where she belongs, doing something she didn’t expect she would enjoy.

Sarah, originally from Aylesford NS, grew up on a dairy and beef farm with her family. Despite growing up on a farm, she hadn’t expected that she wanted to study at Dalhousie University Faculty of Agriculture. She had always been interested in agriculture but was more into the business side of it so she wasn’t sure that the Faculty of Agriculture would be right for her. After changing her program more than once, then switching universities to come to the Agricultural Campus, Sarah finally found where she wanted to be.

“My father went to the NSAC and took a similar program,” Sarah explains. “I heard about the program through him. I started out at a different university in Child and Youth Study and then switched to Arts but nothing felt right for me.”

After making the choice to transfer schools, Sarah is graduating this May with a Diploma in Business Management (Agriculture) and she couldn’t be happier. What Sarah enjoyed the most about her program was the hands on learning aspect. They were taught the theory aspects in the classroom and were then able to practice the theory in real life settings. When she began her studies, she didn’t know many other students. Now though, her class feels like a family.

“The students in the diploma program are all together in almost all the same classes,” Sarah explains. “It’s almost like a family. We’re all really great friends and all really close with each other.”

Not only did Sarah study on the Agricultural Campus, she called the Agricultural Campus home for two years. Sarah lived on campus and was the Residence Assistant (RA) for the past year in the Chapman House residence. Her duties as RA were to ensure the residents safety, as well as provide them with a fun and exciting residence life experience.

“I became an RA because I wanted to become more involved within my residence and make it fun for everyone,” she explains. “My favorite part was getting to know a lot of different people who lived in my residence. My least favorite part was having to lay down the law when people were not following the rules!”

In addition to her studies and her RA duties, Sarah was always actively involved in 4-H. She has been a member of the Harmony-Nicholsville 4-H Club in Kings County since she was eligible to be a junior member at age nine. This year is her last year as a member.

Sarah has always been involved in the beef project in 4-H. The beef project taught her how to care for and show beef cattle. Two years ago, Sarah was named Grand Champion Beef Showman at the provincial 4-H show, an accomplishment that she is very proud of. Last summer, Sarah qualified to compete at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, Ontario. In November 2014, she travelled to Toronto where she was a member of the beef team for her fourth time. She competed in showmanship and confirmation classes with her beef heifer.

“I did pretty well considering the competition,” Sarah says. “When competing at that level you’re competing against the best of the best from all across the country.”

Sarah can attribute some of her success to her time spent in 4-H. She explains that from a young age she was very shy. It was her involvement in 4-H that helped her develop skills that allowed her to come out of her shell and help her to be more comfortable in different settings- like transferring schools and meeting new people. She also learned that it’s important to be open to new ideas and to not to close yourself off from anything. It was those years that she spent in 4-H, meeting new people, travelling, and trying new things that helped Sarah finally find where she truly belongs.