Meet Haden, a senior studying Animal Science at Oklahoma State University! Haden’s passion for the agricultural industry runs deep. He grew up in Perkins, Oklahoma on his family’s farm where they raise meat goats, forage and other small animals.

Serving as a role model and campus leader, Haden serves as the executive president and past executive treasurer for the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources Student Council and is a Student Success Leader for CASNR.

“This allows me to act as a liaison between prospective students and the college,” Haden said. “It also allows me to stay up to date on current trends in agriculture and help cultivate the industry’s future leaders.”

Haden is no stranger to the Oklahoma Youth Expo as he aspired to be a part of OALE after completing an internship during OYE in 2017.

“I was able to see the impact of this program first hand and was completely blown away by this opportunity,” he said. “I truly believe any student can gain valuable skills through the mentorship and experience this program brings.”

Haden plans to attend law school and then practice agricultural law or intellectual property law. As a lawyer, he hopes to contribute to the ag industry by protecting the innovations, which help advance the agricultural industry today and into the future. Agriculture runs through his veins and Haden has no plans to leave the industry.

Haden and the rest of his OALE class will travel throughout Oklahoma this year touring various industries and meet with influential leaders. They will later travel to Washington D.C. and then wrap up their year on OALE with a trip to Argentina.