Milosh McAdoo
Sophomore Milosh McAdoo knows his summer internship was unusual – partly because he got to have one. In a year in which many students’ summer plans were delayed or cancelled outright, McAdoo was able to intern with the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services by working partly in person, partly remotely.
“It was a cool experience. I was very grateful, especially since many of my peers weren’t able to follow through with their plans,” McAdoo said.
As an intern in the Small Farms Division, McAdoo had the opportunity to meet in-person with industry professionals in various divisions of the Department of Agriculture and learn about their roles, including veterinarians and researchers at the Upper Piedmont Research Station in Reidsville, where he worked with cow and calf production.
McAdoo also met some members of the General Assembly. In addition, his role involved on-line responsibilities, including “homework” looking into agricultural policies and attending meetings.
“I learned so much about the ways that agriculture connects with consumers, and that producers connect with the government,” he said. “It was very eye-opening.”
Although McAdoo hadn’t decided on a career path in animal science until this summer, he was no stranger to agriculture. Growing up in Efland, he spent time helping his grandparents with their large garden and with their animals. He “took a chance” on an agriculture class at Orange High School and was hooked right away, participating in clubs like N.C. FSA (Farm Service Agency), a group of which he is a past state vice president.
The interest in agriculture led to N.C. A&T. Here, he is a Cheatham-White Scholar.
“I got a strong feeling about N.C. A&T from meeting the faculty here and seeing their passion,” he said. “Agriculture is an industry that literally everyone needs, so I decided to continue my education here after I learned about the opportunities and felt the support that I’d receive.”
By the end of his internship this summer, McAdoo said, he had settled on a career path in animal science with a focus on livestock reproduction and physiology.
“This internship gave me so much more direction,” he said. “I know now what I want to go into, and afterwards on to graduate school.”
