Internship program is one way Aviagen lives commitment to future generation, offering real-life experience in poultry breeding
2022 summer interns back row from left: Mateo Guerra, Texas A&M; Lacey Garrett, Texas A&M; Hunter Nelson, Brigham Young; James Wilson, University of Georgia; Bryce Friga, University of Missouri-Columbia; Je’Juan Bryant, North Carolina State. Front row from left: Katheryn Anderson, University of Arkansas; Becky Davies, Harper Adams, UK; Rebecca Kelly, Harper Adams, UK; Cynthia Lopez, Fresno State; Jewel Burger, Auburn; Catherine Walls, Auburn. Not pictured: Emma Hill, Tennessee Tech; Paige Williams, University of Missouri, Columbia.
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – From May 23 to July 29, the Aviagen® North America team enjoyed spending time with their 15 summer 2022 interns. Their goal was to introduce these university students to the breadth of opportunity offered by a career in poultry breeding and give them on-the-job experience. Poultry Production, Veterinary Services, Quality Assurance, Hatchery, Research and Development, and Diagnostics Laboratory are just some of the areas the aspiring poultry professionals were able to work in, and their Aviagen mentors were with them every step of the way to advise and encourage. While most of the interns hailed from the Poultry Science departments of U.S. universities, two of them travelled overseas from their home university, Harper Adams, a specialist provider of higher education for the agricultural and rural sector. Conversely, two students from Auburn University in the U.S. – Ally Jackson and Savannah Oglesby – gained international experience, traveling to Aviagen UK in Edinburgh, Scotland, for their summer internship. They toured various UK farms and facilities and gained real-world learning in the areas of hatchery and production.
“At Aviagen, our philosophy is, ‘to breed the best, we need the best.’ We are committed to the sustainability of the global poultry industry, which depends on our ability to attract bright young minds. Our longstanding summer internship program is one of our many initiatives throughout the year that enable us to engage with up-and-coming generations of poultry professionals and show them how they can make a career of making a difference by feeding the world with a nutritious, affordable and sustainable source of protein,” said Amanda Williams, Aviagen Human Resources Business Partner. “We were impressed by their intelligence and ability to quickly catch on to poultry breeding skills and concepts, and we wish them all the best for success in the remainder of their academic career. We look forward to seeing the great contributions they will make to the global poultry industry.”