BY
EARLENE WARD - FOR THE SIERRA STAR
Julie
A. Stewart has been hired to teach agriculture at Yosemite High
School. She says she is looking forward to building the program
into one that is as successful as it can be. She plans to get involved
in the community and have the Future Farmers of America (FFA) members
involved as well. “I want to make sure the FFA is an organization
people can look to as responsible and one that can be relied on,”
she said.
Stewart is a graduate of the University of California at Davis with
a major in Agricultural Systems and the Environment with an emphasis
on Agricultural Education.
She was a student teacher at Rio Vista last year. Stewart says she
has always wanted to teach agriculture.
“Agriculture has been part of my life since day one and this seemed
like the best way to give back to the industry,” she said. “It’s
important to train the future leaders in agriculture.”
She grew up in Woodland where her father farmed row crops for many
years and is now involved in the dairy industry.
Stewart is excited about her new position. “I have so much support,”
she says. “I walked into a program with immeasurable support; I
know that no matter what my needs, I will have someone to turn to
and that is really important.”
One of her first major projects will be the riding arena that will
be constructed at the YHS farm. She looks forward to working with
the community on this project and she believes it will be a good
way to get people from the community involved.
“The arena will be a great resource for the community,” Stewart
says. “Construction will be a great way to have the community become
involved and have input on its uses.”
YHS Principal Steve Raupp says, “We are pleased to bring Julie Stewart
onto the Yosemite High School staff. She has a strong background
in agriculture and her experience in animal and plant science will
be an asset in delivering the curriculum to students. She has had
a wide range of experience in FFA activities and with her strong
leadership qualities she is well-prepared to direct the program.”
Stewart was a founding member and officer of the Sigma Alpha Professional
Agricultural Sorority and she was a founding member of the Aggie
Ambassadors in Recruitment and Outreach Program at UC Davis.
She is a member of the California Agricultural Teachers Association,
National Association of Agricultural Educators, California Young
Cattlemen, California Women in Agriculture and Young Farmers and
Ranchers in Yolo County.
In April she
was supervisor of students at the California State FFA Convention
in Fresno. In 2003 she attended the National FFA Convention as a
floor supervisor of the FFA Store and was supervisor of students.
Since 1997 she has been chairman of the Yolo County 4-H Swine Group,
overseeing the Yolo County 4-H swine show and she has been assistant
livestock supervisor for the Yolo County Fair Livestock Show.
From 1998 to 2003 she was a student assistant at the School of Veterinary
Medicine at UC Davis. She had duties in a variety of departments
including surgery and radiology, the Veterinary Medicine Teaching
Hospital, medicine and epidemiology, and extension and public program.
For two months in 2001, she was a research intern for the California
State Assembly Committee, assisting in the research and compilation
of facts related to various Assembly Bills and legislation. She
also attended to letters and phone calls from constituents on committee
related issues.
She was a farm credit intern for Sacramento Valley Farm Credit in
2001. She assisted loan officers in the loan process and assisted
in crop appraisal including physical property inspection, soil mapping,
crop history reports, and appraisal final reports.
Stewart was an FFA member and a 4-H member, raising and showing
livestock.
She looks forward to fulfilling her objective of “positively influencing
the lives and success of students” as an agriculture instructor.
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