email me: chaneymccollum@tamu.edu
Chaney McCollum
Student at Texas A&M University studying Agricultural Communications & Journalism and Agricultural Leadership & Development.
Expected Graduation: May 2025
About Me
As a student at Texas A&M University, I am learning how to analyze media, conduct research and evaluation projects, become a critical consumer, and demonstrate leadership, all for the betterment of agriculture. My goals have a strong foundation in innovation, consumer education, and industry recruitment.
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Resume
Public Speaking
Leadership
Writing
Research
Public Speaking
Online Cattle Marketing
What?
During my freshman year of high school, one of my peers had written a speech to compete in an event called Senior Prepared Public Speaking for the FFA Organization. After listening to my peer recite his address, I decided that it sounded fun and that I wanted to compete as well. The competition, which was the next day, required students to develop and memorize a speech that was between six and eight minutes. Then participants were to deliver the speech from memory and in an engaging fashion. I decided to write about the benefits and drawbacks of online cattle marketing because it was something I had experience with and I felt it would be easier for me to remember in such a short time frame. I went home that day and excitedly memorized my entire speech for the following day's competition.
So What?
I won first place at the competition the next day and then advanced to the regional competition where I received first place and advanced to the state competition. Each year following this feat, I revised this speech as my subject-matter knowledge, speaking abilities, and writing abilities developed. I competed at the state speaking competition each year. The summer before my senior year of high school, I received second place with my speech at state. Then, at the state contest the summer before my first year of college, I received first place with my speech in the category of Agribusiness Senior Prepared Public Speaking.
Now what?
Now that I have retired my career in FFA and began college, I find myself easily speaking up in class, fluently interviewing, building connections, and advocating for agriculture. As a freshman, my trip to state gave me the confidence that set the stage for the rest of my life. It was with this speech that helped me develop a fondness of the agricultural industry. While this speech has likely been revised for the last time, it is a fundamental part of who I am.
Online Cattle Marketing Manuscript
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Tik Tok & Agriculture
What?
During my junior year of high school I decided to grow upon my past endeavors in public speaking and write another speech for the Senior Prepared Public Speaking Competition conducted through the FFA Organization. I had developed a passion for advocating for the agricultural industry as a whole and I had begun using my Tik-Tok platform to do so. I gained over 20 thousand followers on Tik-Tok and enjoyed providing people with a glimpse into the process that takes place in the field before the grocery store. Because of this, I decided to write my speech on the benefits of advocating for agriculture through Tik-Tok.
So What?
With this speech, I won first place at the local and regional competitions each time that I competed. I qualified for state twice, and the summer before college I won the Technology and Communications Senior Prepared Public Speaking contest at state. Because I had won two speaking categories, I was approached by the Texas FFA Speaking Event Coordinator and told that I would have to choose which speech I wanted to advance to the final competition with, and I chose this speech because it was a fresh topic that was most important to me. I placed 8th overall in the state.
Now what?
Many of the facts I learned in the development of this speech I continue to hear periodically in my classes at Texas A&M University. Knowing that the average age of the American Farmer is 58, the younger generations use social media as their primary source of entertainment, and knowing that agricultural land is currently being used for increased urbanization are surprisingly important in communications and agricultural leadership. This speech gave me the opportunity to grow my speaking abilities even further and helped me more significantly develop the passion for agricultural communications that I have today. This speech is the reason that I am an Agricultural Communications & Journalism major at Texas A&M University.
Tik-Tok & Agriculture Manuscript
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Leadership
The Girl Team
Here, second from left, I am pictured with a team of some of the most powerful women I have met. We each served as Texas FFA Foundation Ambassadors, this is the photograph we took at the end of our week of service
What?
The summer before my senior year of high School I was chosen, through a competitive application process, to serve as a Texas FFA Foundation Ambassador. Throughout the week I got to further develop my own leadership skills and grow alongside a team of like minded & service driven individuals. We were required to care for the financial sponsors of the Texas FFA Association and guide conversations to help sell Texas FFAs' brand. I got the opportunity to network with CEOs of household name companies such as Justin’s Boots, Wyndham Hotels, and the PRCA to name a few. These duties required 5:00 am early mornings and 12:00 am late nights for the week of the Texas FFA Convention while maintaining a smile and go get 'em attitude. It was the most demanding but rewarding opportunity I have ever been a part of.
So What?
I learned that when pushed to your limits, you find yourself in the largest state of growth a person can experience. I was able to better identify my strengths and weaknesses and that of my teammates to delegate responsibilities in the most effective manner. We were able to empower each other at every step along the way and build lifelong relationships. We had to learn how to motivate each other, how to uplift each other, and how to aid each other in our self-growth journeys. To me, leadership is growing alongside those around you.
Now what?
Because of this experience, I find myself to be a high-performer when faced with adversity. Because I was able to identify my weaknesses in leadership, I have improved in those areas and find myself often in self-reflection. I am also a team player, and ready to admit my shortcomings and rely on a team, which was difficult for me before this experience. I now feel that group work, in and out of the classroom, is the best way to work because there is no perfect person, but there is a perfect team.
Texas FFA State Officer Selection
Here, standing in the center, I am pictured during an interview round of the Texas FFA State Officer Selection Process.
What?
This past summer I ran for a position on the Texas FFA State Officer Team because I wanted to continue my career in FFA as a mentor rather than a member and help impact the lives of students in all of the ways that previous Texas FFA State Officers impacted me. The process consists of two phases and lasts about a week. Before the second phase, the candidates are narrowed down to two per region. I made it to the second phase and competed against a dear friend of mine for a spot of service on the Texas FFA State Officer Team.
So What?
During the process, I participated in countless hours of personal interviews which helped me develop skills in authenticity and impromptu question answering. I also facilitated a leadership workshop where the participants were given attitude assignments such as; unengaged, disruptive, and controlling. This experience helped me develop skills in participant engagement and empowerment. Finally, I conducted a Stand and Deliver speech regarding diversity and inclusion in the Texas FFA Association. From all of these experiences, I had the opportunity to evaluate my personal brand and reflect on myself as a leader. I found that there is always room for improvement and I utilized this process to aid in my improvement as a leader.
Now what?
Now I am better able to present and facilitate discussions in an engaging manner and I have learned how to change my facilitation approach based on attitudes in my audience. I also have a booklet of leadership building activities that I can use if I facilitate workshops at local FFA chapters. I am comfortable interviewing and confident in my decisions as I now know that they align with my personal values. While I was not elected to represent Texas FFA, I gained leadership skills that I would not trade for the world.
University
Honors
The University Honors Program at TAMU is a prestige that allows students to challenge themselves at a more rigorous pace while enriching their educational experience.
What?
After I graduate from Texas A&M University I plan to attend law school. My first choice school is A&M's law school in Fort Worth. I would like to focus my practice on the agricultural industry and the oil and gas industry. It is my biggest dream to serve my home state in agricultural policy. This career path became a dream of mine during a leadership workshop when I was 14. I was asked to identify my core values and relate them to my future. I identified those values as honesty, hard work, and faithfulness. Of course, then I had to ask myself where I place my faith so that I could relate that value to my future. My faith is, and has always been, in the agricultural industry. The biggest opportunity offered by Texas A&M University to ensure that I get the best agricultural education possible is through the University Honors Program because it allows me to supplement my classroom instruction with hands-on research.
So What?
Last year I joined the Leadership Departmental Honors Program so that I could begin completing honors projects prior to my acceptance to the University Honors Program. I have completed two honors projects so far and I am set to complete two more projects this fall. The two projects I have completed consist of a research project and a hands-on experience project. The research project that I completed was a response project to an existing leadership theory. This project helped me familiarize myself with the research process and it allowed me to create my own leadership model and theory. My experience project allowed me to work in a sector of the agricultural industry that I didn't know anything about. I then had the opportunity to write and present a blog about this endeavor.
Now what?
My honors projects have allowed me to go above and beyond in my agricultural education which will set me up for success in my agricultural career as I develop the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for various types of agriculture. I will celebrate my sucess in my projects by brainstorming about my next projects. Education is my hobby, and I cannot wait to continue my journey in the University Honors Program.
Check out my projects
The Last Lecture Analysis
Tuesdays with Morrie Analysis
Children’s Book
Writing
What?
I am an agricultural communications and journalism major at Texas A&M University. This semester, I am enrolled in the third journalism class required by my degree plan, AGCJ 314. On Mondays and Wednesdays, we have a minor assignment created to strengthen our writing and interviewing skills. Throughout the semester, we have had three major writing assignments. Each major writing assignment focused on feature writing, and we had the opportunity to identify our audience and select our topic. I chose to do profile pieces for all three assignments because I ran into a handful of awesome people this semester who I wanted to learn more about. This class gave me much creative freedom to determine my writing style and learn how to format an engaging piece.
So What?
During these assignments, I learned a lot about my writing style. I love commas, especially the Oxford one (sorry, Associated Press). I prefer to write in a personable tone, and I enjoy using figurative speech whenever appropriate. I enjoy writing profile pieces because I love highlighting others’ interests and accomplishments. I love the interview process that a profile assignment offers because you can build a relationship with someone and learn what makes them who they are. I got to interview some incredible people: my former agricultural educator, a beekeeper, and a fiddle player. I also had the opportunity to write a pretty cool article about a guest speaker we had in a lecture toward the end of the semester. The writings I completed for this class are by far my best. Below, I have the articles linked in chronological order so the development of my writing can be analyzed. My first profile was comparable to a biography. After submission, I learned that a profile piece should be more of a story than a biography. In my last profile, over the guest speaker, I tried to format an inspirational piece.
Now What?
I am very passionate about research, specifically studying human behavior. While most of these projects are written in APA format, I have been able to transfer many of the things I have learned from news writing into my research. I have gone back to a few of my earlier projects, and I have identified dangling modifiers, missing hyphens, and misuse of the words “who” and “that.” My writing skills have improved dramatically, and I have improved at writing in an active voice. The skills I have learned throughout my news writing courses will help me become a better advocate for the agricultural industry and a better lawyer. In addition to improved writing skills, I have also developed an interview style. For the first two assignments, I prepared a handful of open-ended questions. During the interview for my second paper, I ditched the questions entirely halfway through because I felt like I was learning so much more about the individual by conversing with them. For my last interview, I did not prepare any questions at all. I have found that I prefer to research the interviewee and engage in conversation rather than a formal interview.
Check out my writing
Profile about a teacher
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Profile about a beekeeper
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Profile about a fiddle player
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Profile About a Writer
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Research
What?
During fall semester of 2023, I learned that my two favorite professors were accepting applications for a research team. They had a couple of projects outlined and wanted to put together a group of students to continue the research. At first, I wasn’t sure if I would apply as I was already pretty busy, but I learned that I could take the class for credit and I figured I would get the opportunity to meet some very academically-dedicated students in my major. Also, I would wash these professors’ cars if it meant I would get the chance to work under their leadership. So I applied and was accepted along with five other students.
So What?
During the spring semester, I was paired with an incredible research partner and we studied the usage of children’s literature in higher education. We did a literary review and found that there was not a ton of existing research outside of an education classroom. During our study, it was made clear that children’s literature is a great tool for both aiding in understanding of multifaceted issues and as a reinforcement to traditional classroom education. I had conducted a research project for an honors contract in the past; however, putting together a proposal for the International Leadership Association and preparing research for journal publication is an entirely different ball game.
Now what?
Regarding research, I feel comfortable with my ability to identify trends, summarize results, read existing research, and navigate library databases. These skills will become preterite as a lawyer for purposes related to precedence cases and drafting arguments. Regarding personal development, I learned that I do not have to do everything myself, especially when working with a partner. It’s okay to ask for help. It’s okay to say that you don’t know something. The most important thing is, you take everything as an opportunity to learn something. Going forward, my partner and I will continue to prepare our research for journal publication and prepare for our presentation in Chicago this fall, at which time our project will be linked below.