Purdue students standing in front of the Boilermaker Xtra Special

Ag Econ Students Take the Lead in Purdue’s Rising Professionals Program

In their 9th year on campus, Purdue’s Rising Professional (RP) program is being led by a Department of Agricultural Economics student for the 4th year in a row! Halee Fisher (Purdue Alum; Millersburg, IN) kicked off the trend in 2021-22, followed by Abby Meier (Purdue Alum; Elizabethtown, IN) in 2022-23, Ainsley Kratochvil (Senior; Fairbury, IL) in 2023-24, and current RP President Reagan Koester (Sophomore; Wadesville, IN).

Halee with hosts Ainsley and Shelby with RP alum

RP is a “sister” program of Purdue’s Old Masters. Old Masters was founded in 1950 and focuses on bringing older, successful alumni to campus to connect with current students. RP has a similar focus but targets more recent alumni for its two-day event in March!

To be selected to the Central Committee, a student must have served as an RP Host the year before. All four of our Presidents hosted Agricultural Economics Alum while they served their year as hosts! Halee hosted Jackson Troxel, Abby hosted Laura (Donaldson) Oelkers, Ainsley hosted Shelby (Swain) Myers, and Reagan hosted Travis Martin.

Halee Fisher Halee Fisher speaking

Halee shared, “I hosted Jackson Troxel, who, if you know anything about him, has the kindest heart and is a servant leader for all. He inspired me to chase my dreams at Purdue and beyond, which is why I pursued being the club president. My favorite memory of that experience was Jackson taking us throughout the campus to his favorite spots as a student. He took us down to the tunnels of the Union, and we went to get Potbelly shakes after.”

Abby summarized her leadership experience: “As the President, you are the direct line of contact for the program and each individual Rising Professional, so I really enjoyed getting to build a relationship with each Rising Professional on a deeper level than you would as a Host. As President, I learned how to manage a group of peers, including some of your closest friends, which could be extremely challenging at different points throughout the year.”

Abby with Laura and Abi Halee Fisher with RP group

Ainsley encouraged students to get involved: “RP is a great way to start your professional career by close networking and developing personal relationships with young, successful professionals. Because they are only 5-10 years post-grad, they have an excellent balance of information about college life and post-grad life, which is extremely valuable as you transition to life after graduation.”

Reagan concluded, “My favorite part about serving as President is working with students from all different parts of campus. Getting exposure outside of the College of Agriculture has truly helped me learn from diversified college experiences and develop as a person. Not to mention, RP is deeply rooted in Purdue tradition, which I am extremely passionate about!”