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Just three months ago, Montcalm Community College sophomore Nicole Hollabaugh of Ithaca completed her grandiose journey in FFA after being awarded with her FFA American Degree. 

A journey seven years in the making, after completing 2,250 hours of agricultural experiences, was over. After pouring all of that energy into FFA, Hollabaugh was a little lost regarding her next step in her agriculture educational expedition. All of that changed, however, with a trip to Kansas City, Missouri. 

Hollabaugh was invited to the Agriculture Future of America (AFA) Leaders Conference and applied to be an AFA Ambassador after learning more about the organization. 

“It started out with an application that I worked on for a little bit and the follow up was creating some sort of social media content for AFA,” Hollabaugh recalled. “I actually made a TikTok video of some videos from the leadership conference and I was selected. Being that Montcalm has no history with AFA, they were really excited to bring in a new college, especially a community college, into it.” 

Hollabaugh was recently named one of 41 AFA Ambassadors from across the country, and the only ambassador representing a community college. As an AFA Ambassador, Hollabaugh works to connect students interested in careers in agriculture to industry professionals to learn more about education and job opportunities in the field. AFA also offers scholarship opportunities, allowing Hollabaugh to help students in the application process, as well. 

Also serving as president of MCC’s Agriculture Club, Hollabaugh wasted no time in her ambassador role and already assisted at least two students to fill out applications to participate in an AFA animal science institute in April to learn more about careers within animal science. 

“It’s very humbling,” Hollabaugh said of her ambassadorship. “It’s only a one-year term, so it’ll be over with in the blink of an eye. Through this opportunity, I have 40 teammates from across the nation and if I called any one of them, they would pick up the phone immediately and help me with something. We can collaborate on items beyond AFA. I’ve already built lifelong friendships even in this first month.  

“This is all about serving others, and that’s one thing that really pulled me into the agriculture industry, as it ties back to my faith, as well,” she added. “It’s so great to find somewhere that welcomes you so warmly.” 

MCC Ag Program Coordinator and Ag Club Advisor Brian Gardner has seen first-hand the connections that Hollabaugh has made through the Ag Club and is excited to see how others get involved in AFA through her ambassador role. 

“Having Nicole as an AFA ambassador will help connect our MCC agriculturally focused students with the incredible opportunities AFA offers,” Gardner said. “Nicole’s enthusiasm, passion for agriculture education, and natural leadership abilities make her the perfect fit for a role like this. Looking at the list of ambassadors, Nicole is the only one who represents a community college which is an excellent opportunity for AFA to learn more about the opportunities that ag programs in two-year colleges offer and for our students to learn more about AFA.” 

Hollabaugh has taken her extreme passion for agriculture and has blazed a path opening many opportunities within the agriculture field following her education. Her AFA Ambassadorship comes after her American FFA Degree, winning the Michigan Farm Bureau Collegiate Discussion Meet and being a former State FFA Officer. As irony would have it, Hollabaugh said she had a much different idea of what life would be like as a young child, despite being a fourth-generation farmer. 

“If you asked second grade Nicole, she wanted to become a professional ballerina — that was my goal in life,” Hollabaugh laughed. “In seventh grade, I signed up for a natural resources class as an elective. My first day in class, the teacher had us do an activity identifying points where the agriculture industry impacted us. Of course, everyone was answering food. But it’s so much deeper than that — it’s the clothes on your back, the materials to build your house, the paper and pencil you’re writing with. Agriculture is in everything, and that immediately started that spark for me.” 

Hollabaugh will continue to represent MCC as its AFA Ambassador for the rest of 2026. Despite her impending graduation in May, Hollabaugh intends to continue to return to MCC regularly and present new AFA opportunities to Ag Club students and anyone else interested in careers in agriculture. 

“AFA is for everyone; you don’t have to be an agriculture major, you don’t have to come from a farm family to be involved in AFA,” Hollabaugh said. “The same can be said for the MCC Ag Club, as well. We welcome everyone who wants to learn more and stay curious. 

“However I can help, I really just want to continue to grow the Ag Club at Montcalm and help them become better known within the community,” she added. 

Hollabaugh intends to transfer to Michigan State University to continue her education in Agribusiness Management. She hopes to pursue a career in agricultural communications. She would also like to continue the legacy of her family’s hobby farm in Ithaca, where they raise corn, wheat, soybeans, and sheep.