Elizabeth Mintey
An active member in her extracurricular activities, Elizabeth Mintey has always been on the move in all of her endeavors. From Atascadero, she is a third-year student majoring in agricultural education with the goal of becoming a high school agriculture teacher.
Growing up, Mintey was involved in 4-H by showing livestock and holding leadership positions on the officer team. In third grade, her teacher, Dennis Eaton, made her want to pursue a career as a teacher.
“I still remember the way he made me and other students feel so welcomed and included in his classroom. I wanted to be a teacher even since then to create the sense of belonging for students,” Mintey said.
In high school, she joined FFA where her participation grew even more. She competed in public speaking contests and the Livestock Judging Team. She held positions like secretary and vice president for her chapter and attend the State FFA Conference. Mintey is able to combine both her passions of education and agriculture to be a high school agriculture teacher.
When she was looking for a college, she wanted a new experience to broaden her comfort levels. Through Chico State’s tour and recruitment efforts, Mintey felt connected to the campus and the College of Agriculture before attending class here.
“Chico feels like a home away from home,” Mintey said. “I attended the Chico State FFA Field Day when I was in high school, and I will never forget the amazing experience that I had then, so Chico State has always been on my list.”
Some of her favorite classes so far within the College of Agriculture have been “Agricultural Machine Systems” (AGET 150) with Thomas Henderson and “Livestock Skills” (ANSC 120) with Clay Carlson.
This year, Mintey’s extracurricular activities include co-chair for the FFA Field Day and school visits chair for Ag Ambassadors. She is also an active member of the Crops and Horticulture Club and Colligate FFA.
“One of my favorite activities is participating in the FFA Field Day. This gives the ability to learn how to organize large events and how to connect with other high schools and their teachers, and gives me a new prospective that I can use in my future classroom,” Mintey said.
Some work experience that has impacted Mintey’s life is working as an intern for Show Smart, which is an agricultural education tool used to teach members how to care and show their livestock animal. Through this position, she understands how to organize and edit a website and their social media accounts. She also was able to deeply understand how to show livestock.
Mintey also worked at a meat processing facility back in her hometown this past summer. She learned about the FDA guidelines, what the specific cut of meats are, and a general overview of the meat science industry.
Outside of school and extracurricular activities, she enjoys any type of arts and crafts, especially making jewelry and other products out of leather, as well as spending time with family and friends. One of her favorite memories in the College of Agriculture was attending the State Ag Ambassadors Conference last year.
Mintey offers some valuable advice to any incoming student:
“As a first-year student during the middle of the pandemic, it took me a while to understand what college has to offer,” Mintey said. “I highly recommend getting involved your first year and make those connections and friendships early on.”
She enjoys working with all of the agricultural education faculty within her major to push her outside of her comfort zone, gain new experiences, and take advantage of every opportunity that comes her way.
Mintey will graduate the spring 2024 and join the credential program to follow her passion of agricultural education. She plans on staying a true advocate for the agriculture industry to help educate and engage the community.