Savannah Robin, MS, a University of Kentucky’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (UK Ag) alumna and one the very first interns within UK Ag Equine Programs’ office more than 10 years ago, has been named its new equine science and management internship coordinator. She will begin June 11.

In this role, Robin will administer internships for the large and dynamic equine degree program within the college, assist in academic advising for students within the equine major, support the teaching mission of the program, and help plan student events.

“I am excited and honored to be stepping into this position and being able to serve the students of the college in this capacity,” Robin said. “I feel like my professional passions have collided in this job, and I can’t wait to see what it holds.”

With close to 320 students enrolled in the equine undergraduate program and an internship requirement being a requirement for graduation, Robin’s role is pivotal to the program.

“The equine internship coordinator is a unique position, which links some of the most talented students from around the country to an economically crucial industry, one that is a signature of the Bluegrass state,” said Mick Peterson, PhD, director of UK Ag Equine Programs and faculty member in the college’s Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering. “We are honored to have someone of Savannah’s stature and experience as internship coordinator. She brings unique experience and talent to this role.”

A native Kentuckian, Robin currently teaches at Harrison County High School, where she has been an agriculture teacher and a Future Farmers of America (FFA) advisor since 2014. Prior to that, she was the advocacy coordinator and meeting planner for the National Association of Agricultural Educators.

She has also worked as an instructor within the college’s Department of Community and Leadership Development since 2013, where she developed and taught a course focused on engaging students in policy and advocacy processes. Robin also served in the college as a research and teaching assistant in agricultural education, as an agriculture teacher and FFA advisor for Nelson County High School, and as a UK Ag Equine Programs communications and editorial assistant intern.

“I have loved being a high school ag teacher; it’s been a true joy in my life,” she said. “I have the best students and have learned so much in the past four years. But, when I read this job description, I felt my heart being pulled toward the things I feel that I am strongest at in my current job: mentorship of students, helping students map out their futures, and being engaged in the industry and teaching others to do the same. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to return to the Big Blue Nation and serve the college and the equine industry in this way.”

Robin earned two bachelor’s degrees from UK, one in agricultural education and the other in agricultural communications. She earned her master’s degree from the college’s Department of Community and Leadership Development. She is currently in the process of earning her doctorate from the UK College of Education in educational leadership.

Robin is a longtime member of the American Quarter Horse Association and Kentucky Quarter Horse Association and current president of the Bourbon County Farm Bureau as well as a member of the Kentucky Association of Agriculture Teachers, National Association of Agricultural Educators, and Kentucky Cattlemen’s Association.

“Besides helping our students grow and develop–which is one of my favorite things ever–one of the things I am really looking forward to is getting re-engaged in the equine industry,” she said. “I was raised in the equine industry, and it has molded me into who I am today. Giving back to it is something I am really looking forward to doing.”

For more information about UK Ag Equine Programs, visit www2.ca.uky.edu/equine/.

Author: Holly Wiemers