During the 2022-23 academic year, we are highlighting one Colorado State University student or alum from each of Colorado’s 64 counties. The Centennial State’s land grant university has a connection to the diverse lands and people from the counties of Moffat to Baca, Montezuma to Sedgwick and everywhere in between.

Jess Diehl

Major: Animal Science with a minor in Agricultural Business

Why I chose CSU: I have always lived in Colorado and did not want to leave the state. With that, the Colorado State agriculture program is beginning to get some traction again post-Covid and I wanted to participate in one of the top Animal Science departments in the nation.

My favorite thing about CSU: The diversity and inclusive feel throughout the College of Agriculture is a melting pot for ideas and experiences from different people and backgrounds.

Clubs/organizations in college: College of Agriculture Student Success Ambassador, Collegiate Farm Bureau, Block & Bridle, and working on becoming part of the Livestock Nutrition Research Group

Scholarships/awards in college: National Western Stock Show Scholarship; Phi Theta Kappa Member; Honor Society Member; Dean’s List all 3 years

Favorite achievement: All-American Livestock Judge in 2019 at North American International Livestock Exposition; Graduated from Northeastern Junior College with associate degrees in animal science and agricultural business.

Career goals: I would like to become a ruminant nutritionist for feedlot or dairy cattle so that I can help to feed livestock in a sustainable way while providing the growing human population with the vital nutrition they need.

Favorite instructor(s): My favorite instructor as of now would be a tie between Dawn Thilmany who teaches Agriculture Marketing and Shawn Archibeque who teaches Animal Nutrition. I loved my ag. marketing class because we were able to learn about real-world issues while making decisions regarding trades by utilizing current events and Dawn was an excellent instructor. I have greatly enjoyed my animal nutrition class as well since I would like to become a livestock nutritionist in my professional life.

I’d like to thank: My family, first and foremost, and all the instructors who have helped me throughout my college education. In junior college, I cannot express enough thanks to the professors who took our personal educations to the next level so that we could be prepared as we enter our senior college education.

Favorite NOCO food and hangouts: I absolutely love Young’s Café on College Avenue, but coming from Steamboat Springs, I love my Beau Jo’s pizza!

Quirky fact about you: I can make birds chirp noises by whistling with my teeth.

Favorite CSU tradition: Aggie Day football game, orange out!

What do you tell people from Routt County about CSU: I tell them how much I enjoy the common ground a lot of ag students stand on. Coming from northwestern Colorado and then attending junior college in northeastern Colorado, I think Fort Collins is the perfect mix between both places. With that, I love how you can connect with people from all over the country that come from different backgrounds while still having the same goal of improving our field.

Something people should know about Routt County: While we are known for our skiing, there is much more to the county. We have some amazing conservation efforts through wildlife rehabilitation and some agriculture catered toward tourists. With my hometown being a hub for tourism, I do like to reiterate that people do actually live there full-time as well.

Role/Influence of CSU extension in Routt County: I was a marketing and fair planning intern for CSU Routt County Extension during the summer of 2021 and I was also an extremely active member of the 4-H program in Routt County, so I found myself in the extension office quite a bit. With that, I have applied to do a CSU Extension internship in Northwestern Colorado which will be based in my home county.

Biggest adversity you’ve overcome at CSU: Coming in as a third-year transfer student, I found it challenging to make new friends in a place where a lot of social groups have been formed two years earlier. I found it very challenging to break into some of the groups and make new friends within my classes, but I have been able to make some amazing friends through my on-campus job with the College of Agriculture.