FYI NEWS Lauren Der may be new to the staff
of the Florida Strawberry Festival, but she is not new to agriculture. Lauren was born and raised in Plant City where her family raises cattle and citrus. Her parents also owned a feed and farm supply store for 35 years, which was recently sold. Her sister is also quite involved in agriculture, serving as the education liaison for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Lauren was involved in FFA from sixth
grade up until she graduated from Plant City High School. In FFA, Der competed in nu- merous contests and public speaking events. Being so involved in FFA gave her a better understanding and knowledge of the agriculture industry. Upon graduating from high school, Der studied agriculture communica-
tions at the University of Florida, where she graduated in 2012. Agricul- ture communication is “essentially a public relations/journalism degree that is specific to agriculture,” says Der. Lauren chose her degree because she is passionate about agriculture, speaking and writing, and she felt this was the perfect way to combine her passions. Her education allowed her to be equipped to communicate effectively about the agriculture industry. After graduating from UF, Lauren took a position at Plant City High
School as the agriculture teacher. She taught agriculture foundations and communications. She was also the FFA advisor for Plant City FFA Chap- ter. Der was in that position for one year. Der began her career at the Florida Strawberry Festival in June as the
public relations and media representative. But Lauren has spent nearly her whole life showing animals, and being a part of, the Strawberry Festi- val. While in school she showed everything from rabbits to beef heifers. In 2009, Lauren was crowned the Florida Strawberry Festival Queen, an ambassador for the Festival. Der has also volunteered in several areas at the Strawberry Festival and interned in the office her last semester of college. “For me, it’s really a dream job,” says Der, “This type of job is
exactly what I went to school to do, and it’s in a place that I love dearly and has been a huge part of my life.” Lauren is also an active member of First Baptist Church of Plant City
and enjoys traveling, saltwater fishing, hunting, and reading. It is so nice to see young people coming up in the industry that already
have instilled in them a passion for agriculture and a budding passion for the Fair Industry. Surely I’m not the only one excited to see what the young people of our industry have in store for our future.
By Leah Norris Chairman, Florida Youth Involved Fo r A Fu
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