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College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences

CFAES

Milan S. J. Pozderac

Milan S. J. PozderacMilan S. J. Pozderac 

Department of Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership
Agriscience Education
Fredericktown, OH

2021 Distinguished Senior Award Celebration Program (.pdf)

2021 Distinguished Senior Award Recipient Poster (.pdf)

Milan Pozderac’s most enjoyable experiences were in the summers of 2018 and 2019 when he served as a Farm Credit Mid-America College Scholar. Through this opportunity, Milan took part in two week-long leadership experiences, one in Louisville, KY, and another in Gettysburg, PA. He met other agricultural college students from Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee, and together they went through leadership and personal development workshops. The content of the workshops was extremely applicable to his life and he has continued to use what he learned to this day.

As the New Member Educator for FarmHouse ATZ, Milan recreated the education process for his fraternity, implementing some of the strategies he learned in his classes as an education major. His goal in this role was to make a program that was reflective of their organization’s values and provide sustainability for those who will inherit his position in the future. By the time he finished, he had completely reorganized the New Member Manual, incorporated community service and personal development into the education process, and created seven complete lesson plans that covered all necessary content. Milan was proud to leave behind materials that were an improvement for their new members.

Milan recognized Dr. Tracy Kitchel as his mentor. Milan shared, “Dr. Kitchel served as my research advisor, but his role in my years at Ohio State exceeds far beyond that. In the fall of 2018, I asked to meet with Dr. Kitchel as part of an assignment for my Introduction to ACEL class. This meeting, which I anticipated being short and uneventful, turned into one of the most significant moments in my undergraduate career. During this meeting Dr. Kitchel mentioned a faculty member needed help importing data for their research and asked if I would be interested. At the time, I was struggling to find a part-time job to accompany my classes, so my response was a resounding, ‘Yes.’ This opportunity later led to my role as a student worker in ACEL and connections with the incredible faculty and staff of the department. Later, Dr. Kitchel approached me again with the opportunity to be a part of a research project with him. I leapt [at] the opportunity, though I doubt I ever would have considered research without his encouragement. I knew next to nothing about research, but he helped me through every step in the process until we finished the project this year. Throughout all this, he has pushed me as a student and researcher and has always been available to give advice and resources as I consider my future after graduation. I owe an incredible amount of my success to his guidance and support, which is why I am proud to identify him as my mentor.”

After graduation, Milan plans to begin his career as an agricultural educator in Ohio.

Service, involvement, and accolades: FarmHouse ATZ Fraternity, new member educator, spiritual chair | Ohio Farm Bureau Member | Soil Judging Team | CFAES Ambassador | Alpha Zeta Partners | Bridge Community Center, volunteer | Farm Credit Mid-America College Scholar

Milan Pozderac - Press Release