Students head to WAE for first ever school tours

TULARE, Calif. (KFSN) -- For the first time, the World Ag Expo welcomed hundreds of students as part of its new educational school tours.

Students from Golden West High School in Visalia spent the morning asking exhibitors on the grounds about how their products help farmers.

Sayra Arreguin, a sophomore, said, "Some speakers were talking to us about how they work and the machines and how they created them and how our food is made."

The Golden West High School students are at the farm show as part of their Business Finance Academy. Organizers of the World Ag Expo say they expected FFA students to take part in the tours, but instead found many students who were in finance or economics took part.

Devonee Arroyo, also a sophomore from Golden West High School, said, "They wanted us to explore and see how the business world works."

For many students who were on the tour, this was their first time visiting the World Ag Expo. Golden West High School sent 80 students to the show. The brand new school tours were successful beyond organizers' expectations.

Kerissa Chapman, Tulare Agri-Center's Ag Education and AgVenture Coordinator, said, "We had students from up and down California and even a couple from Utah and Nevada. We ended up with 49 schools and 1,850 students."

Sunnyside High School in Fresno brought 150 students who are in its Ag Pathway. Counselor Nicole Olsen says students were surprised by how large the World Ag Expo is.

Olsen added, "I feel like this is a great experience. The kids are getting a lot of information, not just about agriculture but engineering and the innovation of farming."

Possible careers that are right in their backyards.

George Martinez, a freshman at Sunnyside High, said, "It's a great opportunity for us so we can learn now during high school that we can study this. So, one day, we can get a job and do the same thing these people here are doing now."

Chapman said, "You know, a lot of times you just think of farmers or very basic-in-agriculture careers. This can show them that there's multiple careers in agriculture by coming here and talking to the different exhibitors."

Hoping students learn just how varied the agriculture industry is.