Catch Up With Chuck | Episode 17

Rural Futures Institute Author

03/08/2018 Added

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Shelby Riggs

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[00:00:10.150]Welcome back to Catch Up with Chuck,
[00:00:11.930]from the Rural Futures Institute
[00:00:13.600]at the University of Nebraska,
[00:00:15.510]I'm Chuck Schroeder.
[00:00:16.360]I'm the founding Executive Director
[00:00:17.870]of the Rural Future Institute.
[00:00:19.670]We're broadcasting today on International Women's Day.
[00:00:23.180]And it's a privilege for us to have a young woman
[00:00:26.920]that we've gotten to know, that I really admire,
[00:00:29.380]and certainly brings the kind of leadership talent
[00:00:32.670]that we hope for.
[00:00:34.360]Ms. Shelby Riggs.
[00:00:35.850]Shelby is a junior at the University of Nebraska Lincoln,
[00:00:38.900]who comes to us from rural Mitchell, South Dakota.
[00:00:42.960]So she's an immigrant, so to speak.
[00:00:46.147](laughter)
[00:00:47.360]And we're proud of that.
[00:00:48.870]But Shelby's been very active in a lot of different
[00:00:51.520]endeavors as a student, including being one of our
[00:00:55.100]student interns in the Rural Serviceship programs.
[00:00:58.070]So, Shelby, welcome.
[00:00:59.660]Glad to have you here.
[00:01:00.493]Thank you for having me.
[00:01:01.600]Sure.
[00:01:02.548]It's exciting.
[00:01:03.381]Listen, I remember, specifically,
[00:01:05.360]the night when you and I met.
[00:01:07.095]Yes. (laughs)
[00:01:07.928]I had given a speech to the
[00:01:09.260]South Dakota Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
[00:01:12.500]And after that program,
[00:01:15.130]people were lined up to meet and visit.
[00:01:17.550]And here was this young woman, standing in line.
[00:01:20.800]This was February 2016, when you were just finishing
[00:01:24.620]as a high school student.
[00:01:26.460]And you let me know that you were planning
[00:01:29.760]to come to the University of Nebraska
[00:01:32.470]to be a part of the
[00:01:34.230]Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program.
[00:01:37.000]Yes sir.
[00:01:37.870]I came back and told my colleagues
[00:01:41.120]there's really a bright young woman from South Dakota
[00:01:43.130]coming down here that we ought to keep our eye on.
[00:01:46.180]And certainly, you've not disappointed
[00:01:48.550]in your career thus far.
[00:01:50.673]Well, thank you. (laughs)
[00:01:51.506]So, listen, I want you to...
[00:01:52.540]We know that we've got moms and dads out there
[00:01:55.880]that are thinking about where their
[00:01:58.960]young one might go to school.
[00:02:01.320]I want you to share a little bit about your background,
[00:02:04.530]your upbringing, your family, your community,
[00:02:07.610]and then
[00:02:09.430]why Nebraska.
[00:02:11.550]Awesome.
[00:02:12.383]I get this question all the time.
[00:02:13.560]So I'm from rural Mitchell, South Dakota.
[00:02:16.000]I grew up...
[00:02:17.040]My mom was from Mitchell,
[00:02:18.970]which is a town of approximately 15 thousand.
[00:02:21.550]And then my dad was from Ethan,
[00:02:23.400]which is a town of approximately 300.
[00:02:25.970]So they met in the middle,
[00:02:28.790]right smack dab between the two towns.
[00:02:31.030]And I grew up in a rural area,
[00:02:34.060]surrounded by agricultural influences from my dad's side.
[00:02:38.610]And being really invested in the local community in Mitchell
[00:02:43.710]more so through my mom.
[00:02:46.760]She and her brothers operate a moving company in Mitchell
[00:02:51.030]that my grandfather purchased and built up.
[00:02:54.900]And so they're really, really invested in
[00:02:57.700]the local community there.
[00:02:58.930]And so I did a lot of service through that.
[00:03:02.320]And then I also had some
[00:03:04.160]really great experience with the arts.
[00:03:08.380]I did dance all throughout my entire life, really.
[00:03:13.150]And then our high school, despite being in a rural place,
[00:03:18.280]had a nationally acclaimed show choir program.
[00:03:21.240]Wow.
[00:03:22.073]Yeah, it was really awesome.
[00:03:23.120]So I really got the best of both worlds in a rural place.
[00:03:26.150]You know that ag. background, but,
[00:03:28.080]yet, still got to experience some really neat things.
[00:03:31.240]Sure.
[00:03:32.073]And then, when it came time to decide where I would go
[00:03:35.710]to pursue my education,
[00:03:37.775]academics were also something
[00:03:39.440]that were very important to me.
[00:03:41.220]And we had some really great schools where I'm from.
[00:03:47.212]And I really loved the schools in South Dakota,
[00:03:49.240]but I was also really interested in getting
[00:03:51.850]experience somewhere else, and taking that back.
[00:03:56.630]So when I was going and visiting schools,
[00:04:00.650]a lot of them were really great,
[00:04:02.650]but no school had the type of personalization as Nebraska.
[00:04:08.040]And I was really attracted to that.
[00:04:10.660]And also, I think my heart kinda skipped a beat
[00:04:12.870]when I saw the indoor arena (laughter)
[00:04:14.550]at the Animal Science Complex.
[00:04:16.592]Good.
[00:04:17.425]So, that's really what drew me to Nebraska.
[00:04:20.680]That and some scholarships.
[00:04:22.710]RB Warren, my old rodeo and livestock judging coach,
[00:04:26.080]for whom its named, would...
[00:04:27.950]I'm sure he's jumping in heaven right now
[00:04:30.920]to hear you say that.
[00:04:32.248]Yeah.
[00:04:33.081]Well listen, in 2017, you and Emily Coffey,
[00:04:37.750]who has also interned with the Rural Futures Institute,
[00:04:40.470]and has been a guest on this show,
[00:04:42.270]you were Rural Serviceship interns in York.
[00:04:46.290]Helped them with a community marketing project,
[00:04:49.040]preparing for an LB840 election.
[00:04:52.340]Emily's told us some about that project.
[00:04:56.840]And you can add anything that you would like.
[00:04:58.860]But I'm interested, Shelby,
[00:05:02.052]in your feelings about that experience,
[00:05:04.820]and perhaps some of the things that you didn't expect.
[00:05:08.130]That you encountered, had to overcome,
[00:05:10.470]that you learned in that experience.
[00:05:12.600]Tell us about them a little bit.
[00:05:14.200]So I was really interested in joining the
[00:05:17.930]Rural Futures Institute, and doing that Serviceship program,
[00:05:21.450]just to serve a community and get involved
[00:05:24.850]in a new rural space and see the opportunities.
[00:05:28.390]But I didn't anticipate the type of
[00:05:31.200]personal and professional growth that we experienced
[00:05:34.360]throughout the summer through the challenges
[00:05:36.660]of navigating the six different projects that we had.
[00:05:40.490]So, if I had to sum up our experience.
[00:05:44.200]The two major challenges that we faced were
[00:05:46.986]one, in communication.
[00:05:49.250]So we were working with two different entities in York.
[00:05:52.480]There was the York County Development Corporation
[00:05:55.180]and then the Chamber of Commerce.
[00:05:57.105]Sure.
[00:05:57.938]And we had projects for each of those,
[00:06:00.700]with different deadlines.
[00:06:02.120]And so it became a challenge to communicate
[00:06:06.230]with both of those organizations,
[00:06:07.970]and let them know that we were making strides
[00:06:10.750]towards both progress, or projects,
[00:06:13.750]even if we were focusing on one more than the other
[00:06:16.870]at one point in time.
[00:06:19.440]So my communication skills
[00:06:21.470]I think were improved through that.
[00:06:23.130]And then also, just working, we had a lot of
[00:06:26.240]steering committees that we were working with.
[00:06:28.390]Which were comprised of community leaders
[00:06:31.310]and people with really strong opinions.
[00:06:34.120]And we had to-
[00:06:35.210]And not always alike.
[00:06:36.220]No. (laughter)
[00:06:37.590]And we had to really work with them,
[00:06:39.370]and get all of the opinions in the room
[00:06:41.660]to kind of work together and be heard
[00:06:43.930]to reach the best possible solutions.
[00:06:47.030]Sure.
[00:06:47.863]And boy, experiences that will serve you when your 65
[00:06:52.437](Shelby laughs)
[00:06:53.290]as well as right now.
[00:06:55.760]That's cool.
[00:06:56.593]You've talked a lot about experience.
[00:06:59.956]And the Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program
[00:07:02.490]really has a growing reputation for the unique experience
[00:07:07.120]that it creates for its students.
[00:07:08.810]In fact its known informally as the Engler Experience.
[00:07:12.690]You and I have talked about your experience
[00:07:16.800]with Dr. Tom Fields' Family Business Management class,
[00:07:21.540]the innovation studio, the Engler rallies.
[00:07:25.850]Talk a little bit about what you've done
[00:07:28.350]to create Shelby's personal experience
[00:07:31.586]through the Engler program and related activities.
[00:07:36.490]Shelby's personal Engler Experience is really awesome.
[00:07:41.750]I love it.
[00:07:42.700]So, I've become really involved in Innovation Studio,
[00:07:46.210]which is a place on campus where you go,
[00:07:48.430]and there's all of these machines and types of equipment
[00:07:52.000]that professional wood makers
[00:07:55.220]or professional sign makers would have.
[00:07:59.570]And so I've learned how to use a laser cutter.
[00:08:02.050]And engraved glass and wood,
[00:08:04.240]and made a lot of really unique gifts for family members,
[00:08:07.510]and might start to market.
[00:08:09.600]And I've also really benefited from the classes
[00:08:13.690]and all the types of rallies and networking events we have.
[00:08:16.840]It's really awesome to get into those classes,
[00:08:20.640]and to meet all the different entrepreneurs
[00:08:22.900]in the Lincoln area.
[00:08:24.770]And just really get your ideas flowing,
[00:08:26.890]and realize that these are just regular people
[00:08:29.840]that are starting really unique businesses.
[00:08:31.950]And have the courage to go and apply those tools
[00:08:36.470]that you learn in the classroom,
[00:08:37.880]and build your own business.
[00:08:40.230]Yeah, it's not only the entrepreneurs in the community
[00:08:45.260]that are working, but the ones that are sitting
[00:08:47.300]next to you in those classes.
[00:08:49.800]It's really a delight for me to see the friendships
[00:08:53.490]and the relationships that are built
[00:08:54.922]among really creative people like yourself that again,
[00:08:59.490]I know decades from now,
[00:09:01.506]you're probably still going to be hanging out together...
[00:09:03.880]Probably.
[00:09:05.047]And what do you think about this, sort of conversations.
[00:09:07.360]Well listen, you and I have also spoken a bit about
[00:09:10.440]your dreams for using agritourism, ecotourism,
[00:09:15.255]other rural-based adventures, if you will,
[00:09:18.698]as economic development tools for rural areas.
[00:09:22.610]I want you to talk a little bit about some of those ideas.
[00:09:26.710]And tell us about your plans
[00:09:29.110]to build a career in a rural community, if you could.
[00:09:32.737]So I come from Mitchell, South Dakota,
[00:09:35.020]which is known for the Corn Palace.
[00:09:36.650]The Corn Palace, absolutely.
[00:09:38.000]It is bushels of fun
[00:09:39.390]to talk about the amazing Corn Palace.
[00:09:42.285](laughter)
[00:09:44.100]Those are puns. (laughs)
[00:09:46.250]But, it's not only a tourist destination,
[00:09:49.600]but we use it as a multi-purpose space in our community.
[00:09:52.660]So in the summer time, primarily,
[00:09:55.170]we get tourists in to view the Corn Palace
[00:09:57.950]and learn about agriculture.
[00:09:59.900]And it brings in outside revenue to really supplement
[00:10:03.957]and support our community.
[00:10:06.090]But throughout the year, then,
[00:10:08.130]we use it as a multi-purpose space.
[00:10:09.860]So I have had every dance recital in my life there.
[00:10:13.740]We've had concerts there.
[00:10:14.870]I've had track practice there.
[00:10:16.480]And we had prom and graduation there.
[00:10:18.700]And it's a really unique place
[00:10:20.920]that we might not have if it weren't for that tourism.
[00:10:26.270]And additionally, I have uncles who lead hunts.
[00:10:32.450]South Dakota is really known for pheasant hunting.
[00:10:35.600]And so we have hunters from all across the United States,
[00:10:38.710]and some from internationally,
[00:10:41.610]come in and go on pheasant hunts.
[00:10:43.770]And that's another really great way to show people
[00:10:47.454]our way of life, let them get immersed in our culture,
[00:10:51.200]and really, everyone loves it.
[00:10:54.550]And so I think it's...
[00:10:56.230]We have a great opportunity, going forward,
[00:10:58.805]to really share these experiences
[00:11:02.700]and the culture with other people.
[00:11:05.670]And so, I think that in itself,
[00:11:08.750]that idea could be used to develop rural areas.
[00:11:12.650]And get them the type of multi-purposes spaces
[00:11:15.610]like the Corn Palace,
[00:11:16.522]and those amenities that come with tourism.
[00:11:19.545]If we are able to capture
[00:11:21.220]the essence of our rural communities,
[00:11:22.653]what makes us special, why do we stay here,
[00:11:25.850]and then share it with other people.
[00:11:29.020]And so, I do plan on building my career in a rural area,
[00:11:33.220]because I don't think that I would make it very long
[00:11:37.080]in a city where there's no wide open spaces
[00:11:39.310]and no place to keep my horse.
[00:11:41.117](laughter) There you go.
[00:11:42.157]So, I definitely want to go back and live in a rural area.
[00:11:44.770]Sure.
[00:11:45.603]I think you could make it anywhere, just so we say that.
[00:11:47.401](Shelby laughs)
[00:11:48.234]But anyway, I understand what you're saying.
[00:11:51.083]But that's so important.
[00:11:53.380]We in the the Great Plains
[00:11:55.060]have told ourselves for generations,
[00:11:56.960]well if we don't have mountains or an ocean,
[00:11:58.710]we don't have anything to market.
[00:12:00.200]And the truth is we have a lot.
[00:12:01.550]Oh, we do.
[00:12:02.468]We aren't born with the notion of, well,
[00:12:05.140]here's how we package and market that.
[00:12:06.850]So that's where I think your innovation and your talents
[00:12:09.709]are gonna be so important going forward.
[00:12:12.503]Well, listen.
[00:12:14.930]We know that our audience is made up heavily
[00:12:18.680]of moms and dads, who are thinking about,
[00:12:22.700]who are interested in rural,
[00:12:25.050]who are thinking about where their kids might go to school.
[00:12:27.710]Now, listen.
[00:12:28.543]I happen to know that Shelby Riggs does not spend
[00:12:31.710]all of her time going to class,
[00:12:34.280]or having coffee down at The Mill.
[00:12:37.010]You've been involved in a lot of other things,
[00:12:39.810]including, I don't want you to be too modest to say,
[00:12:42.890]you are now the...
[00:12:44.920]You are now Rodeo Queen.
[00:12:47.190]We're proud of that.
[00:12:48.350]Talk a little bit about the rest of Shelby
[00:12:51.521]and the way your personality comes to play
[00:12:54.456]in getting involved in other activities on campus.
[00:12:57.160]And how they've been a growth opportunity for you.
[00:12:59.460]Yeah.
[00:13:00.293]So, I see activities as areas in which you can supplement
[00:13:05.150]your education and put it to use.
[00:13:07.170]So when I came to campus, I immediately saw the
[00:13:10.230]opportunities in student government.
[00:13:12.400]So I was involved in the committee for Fees and Allocations.
[00:13:15.930]Which we actually evaluate the budgets
[00:13:19.740]for all the fee users on campus,
[00:13:21.870]which turns out to be about 27 million dollars.
[00:13:25.290]And then allocate that to fee users.
[00:13:27.360]That's helped me grow in the financial aspect.
[00:13:30.490]And then I also, for more of my enjoyment,
[00:13:34.190]I'm involved in the UNL Rodeo Association.
[00:13:36.840]Which I absolutely love.
[00:13:39.560]And in that, I have become a co-education chair
[00:13:44.010]for the Rodeo Association and the UNL Rodeo Queen.
[00:13:46.900]And I can use those roles, and partner those roles,
[00:13:51.410]because my involvement in Rodeo Queening really
[00:13:55.210]stems from my belief that agricultural education
[00:13:59.203]is extremely important.
[00:14:01.960]And we want to encourage children,
[00:14:06.760]or youth, or people of all ages really to really want
[00:14:10.600]to be involved in agriculture.
[00:14:12.090]And, you know, you eat three times a day.
[00:14:15.430]Or maybe more, depending on who you are.
[00:14:17.928](laughter)
[00:14:19.370]And it's just really important to know
[00:14:21.460]where your food comes from, and also
[00:14:23.840]it's a way in which you can impact someone else's life.
[00:14:27.170]By growing or producing the type of food
[00:14:31.130]that other people eat.
[00:14:33.130]You're directly impacting their life.
[00:14:35.010]So I think it's really awesome to get people
[00:14:38.520]excited about agriculture.
[00:14:40.090]And I really love that aspect of it.
[00:14:42.700]I also, just for fun, go to Pla Mor all the time,
[00:14:47.080]which is a country dance hall a few miles out of Lincoln.
[00:14:50.590]Or take fitness classes at the Rec to de-stress.
[00:14:53.520]Good for you.
[00:14:54.353]Yeah, yeah.
[00:14:55.186]So anyway, communicating.
[00:14:56.390]You're learning more and more and more about communication
[00:14:58.930]and using that talent to reach audiences
[00:15:01.670]that might not otherwise be reached.
[00:15:03.150]Well, listen.
[00:15:04.100]One of our core beliefs at the Rural Futures Institute,
[00:15:07.470]is in people's capacity to create their own future.
[00:15:10.670]And Shelby, you really seem to me to be a young leader,
[00:15:14.690]who is already demonstrating that capacity to make choices
[00:15:18.450]about who you're gonna be, where you're gonna go,
[00:15:20.630]and the kind of future you're gonna create not only for you,
[00:15:22.820]but for your community.
[00:15:23.947]Thank you.
[00:15:24.780]And we're really proud to have you as one of those
[00:15:26.930]students that the Rural Futures Institute has been
[00:15:29.470]able to invest in, and perhaps help you build that capacity.
[00:15:33.410]So, anything else you want to add today?
[00:15:34.680]I do want to add one thing for those parents out there
[00:15:39.180]whose students may have an interest in going to an
[00:15:42.540]out-of-state school.
[00:15:44.180]I have gotten the question, all the time, why Nebraska?
[00:15:48.000]Or, why did you go out-of-state?
[00:15:49.990]Was there something about South Dakota that you didn't like?
[00:15:52.420]Don't you like your state?
[00:15:53.950]And that's not it at all.
[00:15:55.750]I absolutely love South Dakota.
[00:15:57.340]I have grown in my appreciation for my home state
[00:16:01.740]and for where I was raised
[00:16:03.208]through going to an out-of-state school.
[00:16:07.120]And so, instead of discouraging students
[00:16:12.090]from pursuing those opportunities,
[00:16:14.020]I would heavily encourage your students to grow,
[00:16:18.080]and let them explore.
[00:16:20.010]And most likely they will want to return
[00:16:23.440]and reinvest in their community
[00:16:24.801]with those lessons that they learned elsewhere,
[00:16:29.550]that they can then bring back in,
[00:16:30.810]like improve their community.
[00:16:32.420]Sure.
[00:16:33.253]It's a great lesson about life.
[00:16:35.150]And it's your presence next to
[00:16:38.620]somebody from Palisade, Nebraska,
[00:16:41.363]is helpful to them too.
[00:16:43.399](Shelby laughs) So anyway.
[00:16:44.370]Well, listen.
[00:16:45.340]We're out of time.
[00:16:46.280]I just want to encourage you to join us again next week
[00:16:51.070]for Catch Up with Chuck, where we're gonna be talking
[00:16:53.380]with real people about real places.
[00:16:55.720]And demonstrating that thriving rural communities
[00:16:58.780]are a legitimate best choice for worthwhile living.
[00:17:01.530]Thanks for joining us.

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Catch Up With Chuck | Episode 17

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