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Bakersfield College's Annual Agriculture Career Expo lets students explore the possibilities

Organizers of the event say their goal is to show people who may be considering a future working in agriculture that there are a world of opportunities right here in Kern County.
BC Ag Expo
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Kern County leads the state in agricultural production, and Bakersfield College is working to keep local agriculture students here after they graduate. On Friday, BC held its annual Agriculture Career Expo.

BC staff says companies and sponsors attended the Expo to let students know about the internships and career possibilities available to them after graduation, as well as to give high school students a look at a possible plan for their own academic future.

Carolee Trimble, who teaches agriculture and science for the Kern High School District, says many students just don’t realize how many things they can do with a degree in agricultural

“A lot of times people don’t realize all the opportunities just in their own back door, so we have so many programs here at BC that will give them a certificate or a degree that they can use to go ahead and go straight into the workforce or to get them started on that four year pathway if that’s what they’re looking for also,” said Trimble.

The organizers of the BC Ag Expo say students interested in pursuing a career in agriculture were able to make connections and get information about different companies to determine the best fit for them.

Ridgeview High School senior Nivia Lopez visited the Ag Expo to help her narrow down her options for when she graduates. She says she originally planned to study plant science, but after attending the Expo, she decided food science would be a better fit for her.

“There’s just a lot of aspects, between harvesting the food to then when it gets to your plate,” said Lopez. “I just think it’s really interesting to learn how apples become apple juice, applesauce, so many different things that can happen to just the bare crop.”

Lopez says she now thinks BC may be the place for her to continue her journey in the agriculture industry.

Companies like The Wildlands Conservancy also attended the Expo to show how they can create opportunities for students like Lopez to grow in their careers.

“We do offer internship programs for college students where they can come out, work alongside the rangers, and they can develop the skills necessary for either a job at Wildlands, or maybe somewhere else down the line,” said Travis Bibee, a ranger at the Wildlands Conservancy.

Lopez says she plans to take advantage of all the potential pathways available to her.

“There a lot of different things I can learn and a lot of different connections I can gain from all these different companies and sponsors that they have out here, and a lot of different internships that I can potentially join,” said Lopez.

To learn more about current local ag job openings and all the agriculture education programs available at BC, visit the Bakersfield College Agriculture Department’s website.