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Agnes Guillo

Agnes Guillo holding lamb surrounded by four other lambs in barn stall

About Agnes

  • Field and focus area of study: Animal Science, Sheep Management
  • Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
  • Fun fact: Growing up, I had three pet chickens!
  • View Agnes' LinkedIn profile

What are your short-term and long-term career goals? 

My short-term career goal is to land a job after graduation where I can create (or support the creation of) education materials around agriculture, ecology, science, etc. My long-term career goal is to become a facilitator of agriculture education and communication.

What are the strengths of the CALS MPS degree program? 

The CALS MPS is a course-based graduate program. This was really important for me because it allowed me to take so many cool classes, develop new skills, and explore different career paths.

What words would you use to describe the CALS MPS degree program? 

Flexible, Customizable, Fast-paced, Supportive, Exciting.

What were some of the most rewarding moments while in your program? 

Serving as the Graduate Teaching/Research Specialist for the Dairy Sheep Management course. In this role, I taught students how to deliver lambs and milk ewes. It felt very rewarding to support other students as they cultivate an exciting new skill!

What courses were your favorite? Why?

The Dairy Sheep Management course. Students are in charge of delivering lambs from the Cornell Sheep Flock and then milk ewes for the remainder of the semester. The students get to learn how to make yogurt and cheese from the milk they collect. This is one of the most hands-on courses taught in the Animal Science department. At the end of the semester, the students are proud of the new skills and tangible products they have created.

How has your MPS experience changed you, both personally and professionally? 

My MPS experience has made me more confident in my ability to work hard and overcome challenges. It also really helped me redefine my professional interests and career goals.

What are the biggest challenges you want to tackle in the world?

I want to address and shrink the gap of agricultural illiteracy. Regardless of a person’s background or where they live, I believe that all people should have a strong understanding of how and where food is created (and all other intricacies of the agriculture industry). I want to break down the disconnect between farmers and consumers.

How has learning from faculty experts changed your perspective on sheep management? 

It feels much more like a burgeoning field; like we are on the cusp of something big and exciting!

Share about your capstone project. What are you focused on?

My capstone project is publishing a research article which investigates how the forage Birdsfoot Trefoil can be used as an alternative method of parasite control in sheep.