Jackie Knowles (second from left) and Southern Lee FFA members attend the 2020 MEGA Leadership Conference in Greensboro, N.C. Photo courtesy of Jackie Knowles.
Sometimes you don’t follow a straight path to your dreams. When you find what you were meant to do, however, you realize your journey prepared you perfectly for your destination.
Jackie Knowles, for example, didn’t expect to end up as an agricultural education teacher and FFA advisor at Southern Lee High School in Sanford, N.C., but there’s nowhere she’d rather be.
“I didn’t realize how impactful it would be to become a teacher,” she says. “It’s a blessing to be there for some students who may not have other adults who are there for them.”
Knowles, who still serves in the Army Reserves, joined the U.S. Army during her senior year of high school and ended up serving on an Army agricultural development team that supported indigenous farmers by checking on livestock, bringing needed vaccines and giving advice about growing food.
Knowles (left) talks to students during a class she taught as an Army instructor. Photo courtesy of Jackie Knowles.
Knowles was inspired by the veterinarians on these teams and became an Army veterinary technician. Later, when she was stationed in Arizona, she helped take care of the military working dogs that helped patrol the border as well as donkeys and mules used to patrol mountainous areas.
When she enrolled at North Carolina State University, Knowles planned to major in veterinary bioscience, but realized this career path would take her away from her family more than she wanted. At the time, she was a military instructor teaching soldiers how to be civil affairs specialists, which helped her decide to major in agriculture education and minor in animal science.
Knowles got a job at Southern Lee High School in 2017, and she now teaches two animal science courses (one about livestock and another about companion animals), two sustainable production agriculture classes and an introductory course about agriscience applications. She guides students in real-world, hands-on learning by helping them raise chickens, sell eggs and host a popular plant sale each spring.
“Students get to see the chicken waste become compost and soil so we can grow flowers that we sell at our plant sale,” Knowles says. “They see the whole cycle.”
Her school’s FFA members also participate in various competitions. These include the area and state Envirothon (an environmental and natural resource conservation problem-solving, team building, and leadership experience for high school students, where they’ve placed in the top four teams in the state), leadership competitions like Extemporaneous Public Speaking and the state Poultry Evaluation Career Development Event.
Knowles celebrates her graduation from North Carolina State University with Dr. Jim Flowers, professor emeritus and former chair of the school’s Department of Agriculture and Human Sciences. Flowers helped Knowles decide to major in agriculture education. Photo courtesy of Jackie Knowles.
Because of her various experiences, Knowles can help every student find their best path forward, whether that’s in military service or completing a college degree.
“Some need more time to reflect on what they are good at,” Knowles says. “Because of my experience in the military, I can speak to those students and tell them there is another opportunity if they aren’t ready to go into a two- or four-year degree program.”
Find Your Future
Whether you’re planning to enroll in college classes, join the armed forces or pursue a full-time career, start by exploring paths and opportunities that interest you. Visit AgExplorer to discover your dream role. AgExplorer content is created by AgCareers.com and made possible thanks to corporate partners, Culver’s and Syngenta.
