WHO IS BLAKE VAN DER KAMP? Current Orr Fellow and Junior Program Manager with the Liberty Fund, Blake Van Der Kamp, is seeking to leave a lasting impact on the way individuals play a role in promoting education, agriculture, and food security for the world.
Van Der Kamp has a proven international track record for representing the agriculture, education, and marketing sectors. Having fostered his passion through his early involvement with the National FFA Organization as the Iowa FFA State Reporter, he has sought to bring awareness to agricultural education and the hard work of modern producers. In 2020, Blake was awarded one of the nation's highest honors for high school students been named a Presidential Scholar for Career & Technical Education by the United States Department of Education. He received this award for creating a high school recycling program that generated an estimated 26,400 lbs of recyclables, a supply drive that provided around $5,000 worth of school supplies to disadvantaged, rural youth, and his overall contributions to agricultural education in his home state of Iowa. |
|
Blake has served as one of five North American delegates at the biennial Bayer Youth Ag Summit. Additionally, he served as a panelist, speaker, and advisory council member for United States Farmers and Ranchers in Action’s Honor the Harvest Forum with notable industry leaders including but not limited to Vice President of the American Farm Bureau and COP25 High Level Climate Champion. At this event, he highlighted the integral role in which society plays in elevating youth solutions and how youth are part of the future of the industry.
Professionally, Blake has worked in communications for numerous organizations such as the Iowa Ag Literacy Foundation and the World Food Prize Foundation. In these roles, he has advocated for youth to take ahold of opportunities and streamline marketing efforts to bring awareness to how integral agriculturalists are to solving food insecurity. Additionally, he assisted with planning and hosting the inaugural state of Iowa’s George Washington Carver Day, where Governor Reynolds and others gathered to celebrate the historical trailblazer.
More recently, he graduated Magna Cum Laude and with honors from Iowa State University triple majoring in Agriculture and Life Sciences Education, International Agriculture, and Public Relations with a Certificate in Leadership Studies. He is currently continuing his studies at Butler University working towards a Master's Degree in Strategic Communications.
Further, Van Der Kamp’s legacy has not stopped with regard to academia. While in undergrad, he has held positions as a representative on the University’s Sustainability Committee as well as the Agriculture and Life Sciences Education Department's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. His aspiration to excel have also earned him the title of being a Cargill Thrive and Ronald E. McNair Scholar.
Following his Masters, he plans to work full-time in the agricultural communications field while pursuing another Master’s Degree from Harvard in Digital Media Design. Furthermore, Blake Van Der Kamp has taken an active role in promoting the industry through local, national, and international endeavors and displays a commitment to remain involved in agriculture, food, and natural resources advocacy both professionally and personally.
Professionally, Blake has worked in communications for numerous organizations such as the Iowa Ag Literacy Foundation and the World Food Prize Foundation. In these roles, he has advocated for youth to take ahold of opportunities and streamline marketing efforts to bring awareness to how integral agriculturalists are to solving food insecurity. Additionally, he assisted with planning and hosting the inaugural state of Iowa’s George Washington Carver Day, where Governor Reynolds and others gathered to celebrate the historical trailblazer.
More recently, he graduated Magna Cum Laude and with honors from Iowa State University triple majoring in Agriculture and Life Sciences Education, International Agriculture, and Public Relations with a Certificate in Leadership Studies. He is currently continuing his studies at Butler University working towards a Master's Degree in Strategic Communications.
Further, Van Der Kamp’s legacy has not stopped with regard to academia. While in undergrad, he has held positions as a representative on the University’s Sustainability Committee as well as the Agriculture and Life Sciences Education Department's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. His aspiration to excel have also earned him the title of being a Cargill Thrive and Ronald E. McNair Scholar.
Following his Masters, he plans to work full-time in the agricultural communications field while pursuing another Master’s Degree from Harvard in Digital Media Design. Furthermore, Blake Van Der Kamp has taken an active role in promoting the industry through local, national, and international endeavors and displays a commitment to remain involved in agriculture, food, and natural resources advocacy both professionally and personally.
Photo Courtesy of the International Acacia Fraternity
Photo Courtesy of the United States Farmer & Ranchers in Action (USFRA)
|
HIGHLIGHTED LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCES - Selected as an Orr Fellow for the Class of 2024
- Directed discussion as a Key Leaders & NextGen Farmers Panelist for the 2022 U.S. Farmers & Ranchers in Action Honor The Harvest Forum - Served as Vice President of Ceremonies for the Iowa State University's most prestigious honor society, Cardinal Key - Liaised as Director of Sustainability on the ISU Student Government & on the President-appointed University Sustainability Committee - Global Bayer Youth Ag Summit Attendee & 2021 Delegate - Elected as the 2020-2021 Iowa FFA State Reporter |
HIGHLIGHTED AWARDS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS- Recipient of the 2024 Iowa Soybean Association Rising Star Award
- Inducted into ISU's most prestigious honor society, Cardinal Key, in 2022 - Accepted as a member in 2022 for the Order of Omega Honor Society - ISU Office of Multicultural Student Affairs 2022 Rising Star Award Recipient - 2021 Honorary Diamond Trail Chapter FFA Degree Recipient - 2020 U.S. Department of Education Presidential Scholar Awardee in C.T.E - Prairie City Monroe High School Valedictorian for the Class of 2020 |
Photo Courtesy of TPCreations
|
CERTIFICATIONS & DEGREES
|
|