Coming full circle: Purdue alumni mentor Boilermaker interns at Miller Poultry
At Miller Poultry, a broiler production company located in Northern Indiana, Purdue Agriculture alumni aren’t just building careers — they’re building futures.
Brandon Alley, service manager with Miller Poultry's sales department and animal sciences alumnus, says that "humble and hungry" are two words that are central to their core values.
“Those qualities are often found in Boilermakers. It makes Boilers a great fit at Miller,” Alley said.
With a goal to develop a quality protein product to feed people across the country, Alley and Kate Borders, animal well-being and compliance manager for Miller Poultry and an alumna of animal sciences, agree, “Poultry is the place to be.”
“People always think that to work in poultry, you must be out in the barns with the chickens, but that is not the case,” Borders said. “There are many roles in the poultry industry everything from sales, marketing, communications, finance and more.”
Along with being Boilermakers, Borders and Alley share another thing in common: a desire to prepare the next generation to pursue careers in agriculture by providing experiences and growth opportunities in the poultry industry. Their passion led to the development of the Miller Poultry Internship Program.
Kate Borders, animal well-being and compliance manager for Miller Poultry, working with chickens in a Miller facility. 
Brandon Alley, service manager with Miller Poultry's sales department, promotes careers in poultry at a Purdue University job fair. "I'm really proud of our internship program. We have made it a project-based program so that the students are getting tangible experiences in the field,” Borders said. “I'm proud of the interns who walk out of here with this experience."
This year’s internship cohort includes five Purdue College of Agriculture students from animal sciences, food science and agricultural economics. Over the past five years, their program has hosted 30 student interns, with 19 of those interns hailing from Purdue.
These types of business partnerships and internship opportunities are vital to the work being done in animal sciences at Purdue, says James Krotz, coordinator of the department’s career services and alumni relations. He explains that the department is committed to giving students opportunities to explore a range of careers, including in production.
Hear from students how their internship this summer at Miller Poultry helped them grow in their respective fields of study:
"The Purdue College of Agriculture career fair is where I first learned about the internship opportunity with Miller Poultry. My internship has focused on studying coxae, which is this very interesting parasite that affects poultry’s intestinal lining. I chose agriculture because I have a passion for feeding the world and this internship is bringing me one step closer to achieving that goal.”
-Sisa Propst-Zuverza, junior in food science with a minor in animal sciences and sustainable agriculture in horticulture and landscape architecture
"The ability to have knowledge of so many different parts of an industry is important to me and is something that my various internship opportunities through connections at Purdue has provided me. My time at Miller Poultry this summer helped me round out my understanding of what's going on in every aspect of the operation from the beginning to the end. I am truly grateful for these experiences and the opportunities they have provided. I’m excited to put what I have learned into action in my future career.”
-Jacob Beadles, a senior in animal sciences
“My time at Miller Poultry has really helped me grasp what happens to produce a product that people can purchase in the store. I am grateful for the opportunity with this internship to learn everything it takes to make a high caliber product. I am confident that everything I learned this summer will greatly benefit me in my career in Ag Sales.”
-Riley Shepherd, a junior in agricultural economics
Paul Ebner, department head and professor of animal sciences, believes these learning opportunities are essential to student success.
“One of the greatest benefits of internships is that they allow students to see themselves in careers that may have never thought about. Miller Poultry does an excellent job of introducing many of our students to the great opportunities open to them not only at Miller Poultry but the poultry industry in general. It's really a model internship program and we are very grateful for the partnership and the numerous benefits it provides to our students,” Ebner said.
As the internships come to an end, the work continues for Miller’s Purdue alumni. Throughout the school year, they will share opportunities that the poultry industry provides with students at Purdue and other universities. From speaking to classes to participating in job fairs to serving as mentors, they each have found ways to give back.
"Now, as alumni, a lot of us at Miller are passionate about going back to help the students in the chairs we were in not so long ago,” Alley said. “It’s now our turn to give back in a way that others did for us,” said Alley. “Our time as Boilermakers has come full circle."
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