Alumni Spotlight
Name: Zach Simon
Current Title: Director of Ingredient Utilization and Pet Food
Organization: United Sorghum Checkoff Program
Majors: B.S. Agronomy (2011)
K-State College of Ag is proud to recognize alumni from all departments who continue to pursue their passion in their respective fields. It is through experience that we continue to grow as individuals and stewards of the industry. Through those experiences, we hope to be a continued resource for the next generation of K-State students to lean on for advice and continue to build our network!
Why did you choose K-State?
Choosing K-State was a difficult decision for me, especially considering my mom attended the University of Kansas. I grew up in a KU household, so you can imagine the challenge of choosing to attend its biggest rival. However, I knew if I wanted to pursue a career in agriculture and stay in-state, K-State was my best choice. When looking at agricultural schools, I narrowed down my decision to Colorado State, K-State and Oklahoma State. The reason I came to K-State was because it had one of the strongest agronomy undergraduate programs.
I fell in love with the campus to be honest. I noticed when I visited Colorado State, we didn't have AirPods back then, but we had earbuds. Everyone was walking around with earbuds and no one was smiling. I came to K-State and saw people laughing, talking, smiling and saying hello, even though they had no clue who you were. That kind of just solidified it for me. It was such a friendly campus and the fact they had one of the top undergraduate programs sealed the deal for me.
What groups did you participate in at K-State, and how did they help prepare you for your career?
While I was at K-State, I dedicated more of my time and involvement to my fraternity where I held leadership roles. My involvement in my fraternity prepared me for the real world because I learned to work with different people from various backgrounds. It taught me how to work through conflict and find resolutions. I had the opportunity to work with people who had very different opinions than I did, and it taught me how to work with them and come together to accomplish a common goal. That was a great experience for me looking back—learning how to collaborate with people that quite honestly, I didn't get along with very well at times and figuring that out and working through things.
What advice would you give to students who want to stand out when applying for jobs after graduation?
So the adage of “it's not what you know but who you know” has proven to be true in my career. Leveraging your connections is key. Make sure that you create those experiences during your college career to make those connections, whether it's with professors, at internships or through your classmates. Prove yourself and leverage those connections to help you continue to accomplish your goals.
What’s one unexpected change in your career, and what did you learn from it?
After graduation, I began working as an assistant scientist in the sorghum breeding program at K-State with my primary goal to start graduate school. This opportunity came when I went to visit with Dr. Teso about graduate school and his sorghum breeding program. He responded, “how would you feel about working as a technician while also pursuing your master's? It may take an extra year, but you'd have the opportunity to earn an income and have some benefits while also working on your graduate degree.”
Sadly, that didn't come to fruition. However, I'd consider that a major turning point in my career, because it shifted my perspective on what I thought my career path would be since I had originally envisioned myself working in plant breeding. I then had the opportunity to work for Extension, which led to the ultimate goal, farming with my family. It was unexpected, but I wouldn't change it for the world.