By Kelly Fornoff, ACE Ambassador

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) fall conference in St. Louis, MO with two fellow ACES students. At the conference, we learned more about what is new in the agri-marketing industry. We also listened to several speakers, but in particular there were two keynote speakers who motivated us to be more successful in our future careers.

Several points that the two speakers made were:

• Set your own moon goals and work hard to achieve them.

Definition of a moon goal: A stretch; a difficult and transformational goal that you have set for yourself.

• Don’t wait for your ship to come in, swim out to meet it.
• Recognize that the future is not a place you are going, but a place you will create.

The faculty in the ACE Department push you to achieve your own “moon goals.” Through experiential learning and other opportunities in ACE, students are able to create their own futures while the faculty provide the resources that are needed to have a successful career. The best opportunities aren’t going to come knocking on your doorstep. You have to be willing to reach out to them and take advantage of the resources and opportunities that you are presented with.