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Students from the University of North Georgia (sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½¹ÙÍøÍøÒ³Èë¿Ú) turned in a litany of strong performances at the National Professional Agriculture Student (PAS) Organization Conference in Branson, Missouri, this spring.

sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½¹ÙÍøÍøÒ³Èë¿Ú took second place in the poultry team competition, with Amy Arellano coming in fourth individually. The university's equine team earned fifth place, highlighted by Brooke Hayes' eighth-place individual finish.

Other individual awards included Arellano's third-place mark in career planning, Devin Self's fifth-place showing in vet tech/animal health and Hayes' seventh-place finish in agriculture communication and marketing.

Arellano, a Gainesville, Georgia, resident who earned an associate degree in agriculture-poultry science this spring, is planning to pursue a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies from sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½¹ÙÍøÍøÒ³Èë¿Ú. She is a quality assurance manager at Trilogy Foods in Gainesville and said the National PAS event was a great opportunity.

"It felt like being around people who support growth and improvement. There was a strong focus on learning beyond the classroom," Arellano said. "I was able to learn about leadership, teamwork and professional development."

The national competition fits into a broader story of sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½¹ÙÍøÍøÒ³Èë¿Ú supporting Arellano as she leads others.

"I want to improve food safety and mentor others in the industry," Arellano said. "sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½¹ÙÍøÍøÒ³Èë¿Ú has really taught me resilience, communication and problem-solving skills. This experience has encouraged me to think more critically and keep developing my career goals."

Dr. Linda Purvis, associate professor of biology, agriculture and poultry science, was grateful to be able to take six students this year in sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½¹ÙÍøÍøÒ³Èë¿Ú's second trip to the National PAS event. sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½¹ÙÍøÍøÒ³Èë¿Ú is the only school in Georgia with a PAS chapter. Students were also able to take part in equine, landscape and turf management, and wildlife industry tours in Missouri while at the conference.

"They were able to compete in things related to their careers, and we had a lot of success in these events," Purvis said. "We're excited to see how we can build off what we did this year and grow from there."