Welcome our newest Media Intern, Sydney Gradisar-Jansen! She is majoring in Journalism & Media Communications with the long-term goal of becoming a media manager. Sydney currently integrates her passion for media through her own small business. “I have a portrait photography business where I take photos of couples, friends, and families,” Sydney said. 

She was born and raised in Fort Collins, making her a Colorado Native. She grew up on a farm, so she has been involved in the field of agriculture her whole life. “My first memory related to agriculture was having goat milking races with my brother,” Sydney said. “We grew up with a small goat dairy, so when we milked the goats, we would race to see who could milk the fastest.”  

Sydney has been with AgNext for a few weeks now, and she is diving into discovering the relationship between sustainability and animal agriculture. “To me, sustainability means balance. If the benefit of an action outweighs or balances the cost, whether it’s environmental or financial, that makes it sustainable,” Sydney said.  

She has grown up around animals of all sorts, including horses, goats, sheep, pigs, llamas, dogs, and cats. “I helped take care of the animals and that was a lot of fun for me. I showed dairy goats for several years and even won a National Championship for Dairy Goat Showmanship,” Sydney said. “I was also an FFA member in high school, so agriculture (specifically animal agriculture) has been a big part of my life for a long time.” 

At AgNext, Sydney has integrated her passion for journalism with her agricultural background. “When I was presented with the opportunity to work as a media intern for AgNext, I knew I couldn’t pass it up. I love this job because it allows me to combine my love of animals with my love for media such as photography and videography. Just last week I was able to go over to ARDEC to take photos of the cattle there, and that was a lot of fun,” Sydney said.   

As Sydney continues to get to know our team members at AgNext, she hopes to expand her horizons regarding the scientific findings behind agricultural sustainability solutions. “I look forward to learning more about agricultural sustainability here at AgNext,” Sydney said.  

To view Sydney’s Team Profile, click here.