Reagan Koester’s keys to success: Say yes and pay it forward
Reagan Koester was 30 minutes into the eight-hour drive from her internship in Iowa to her parents’ home in Wadesville, Indiana, when her phone rang. It was a call from the Indiana governor’s office.
“My heart started racing,” she says. She worried about taking notes, but that wasn’t necessary. The call was brief – time enough for Koester to learn she’d been selected as the student representative to Purdue’s Board of Trustees.
“I was so excited. I even played ‘Hail Purdue’ on my car radio.”
In this role, Koester, will serve a two-year term and have the same voting rights as the other nine members of the board. She’ll also serve on the board’s Academic and Student Affairs Committee and Physical Facilities Committee.
“My goal is to serve the university as a whole and have a positive impact on the conversations in the boardroom. Outside of the boardroom, I’m excited to represent what Purdue does for students."
- Reagan Koester
The path to Purdue started with 4-H
Koester, a junior in Agricultural Economics, has strong ties to Purdue. Her parents met as students at the university, and her older siblings are alumni. “My grandfather went to Purdue, too, and lived in Owen Hall 58 years before I did,” she says.
Having grown up on a dairy and grain farm, she feels deeply connected to the university’s land-grant mission. Extension education and resources helped her grandparents, parents and uncles grow the family farm.
Her own Purdue experience began in 4-H. “I came to Purdue for summer camps. We stayed in the residence halls and got to experience what it was like to be a student. It helped build my passion for Purdue and set me up for the path that led me here,” she explains.
Saying yes to growth
Over the years, Koester has cultivated a love for agriculture and a strong work ethic. She also embraces what she calls the “growth zone.”
“It’s where you may be nervous or not entirely sure, but the experience stretches you. That’s what’s happened for me at Purdue. I said yes to things that maybe I wasn’t fully comfortable doing, but they helped me grow.”
The most recent growth zone? Applying for student trustee position.
“You never know what opportunities will present themselves. I didn't think [the trustee role] could be something I would do, and now here I am.”
"My advice to new students is to say yes to new opportunities. Whatever it is—going to the dining hall with a friend or leading a campus organization—these are the things that help you learn and grow outside of class. It’s what I’ve tried to do at Purdue and the reason I am who I am today."
Paying it forward
“I’ve grown so much. I’m a lot different than freshman Reagan who showed up on campus a few years ago,” Koester says. 
She credits faculty and staff mentors, as well as fellow students, with fueling her development. She wants to do the same for other students.
Serving as the student trustee is one way she’s doing that. Another is in her role as a teaching assistant in the Ag Econ department.
“A side mission of mine is to be a resource to students and connect them with each other,” she says. She provides insight and encouragement as students navigate their growth zones, whether that’s helping them find the dining hall, join a club or explore internship opportunities.
The path ahead
The Board of Trustees’ role will keep Koester busy over the next two years. There’s also an internship this summer, followed by graduation in 2027. Beyond that, she’s open to the possibilities.
“For me, it’s not necessarily what I want to do, but who I want to be,” she says. Inevitably, that will be someone committed to hard work, service and growth. In other words, a Boilermaker.
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