At Greeley West High School, animals are very popular, and seeing the students work with them is also very common. Some students have taken these studies even further. Senior Kaitlyn Fenton is one of those students.
Alongside being a student-athlete, Link Crew leader, and the president of the FFA Chapter, she works at an animal therapy farm called Healing Hooves and Peaceful Paws. “My job is to take care of them daily by feeding them, cleaning stalls, and working with them so that they are better prepared to work with my boss’ clients. Also when needed, I help the other counselors handle the horses with their clients,” Fenton Said
While working there, Fenton has discovered that agriculture and caring for people can tie into each other and can even be more than just that, “I have been able to see how agriculture can be bridged to careers that include caring for people, for example with my knowledge of animal handling has helped kids with their therapy sessions,” Fenton stated.
Fenton also believes that as a community we should all recognize how big agriculture is in our lives and encourages us all to become more familiar with it. “I think people forget that agriculture is a huge part of our lives and we can’t go a day without using it, education on it and the different capacities that it touches our life would be a way to support us along with other businesses as a whole,” Fenton said.
This job has brought many opportunities, and her love and passion for animals continues to grow. “Working has shown me what I want to do in my future, I want to attend a 4-year university and major in animal science with a minor in ranch management. My goal is to be a cattle rancher. I also want to have a career in animal nutrition and genetics,” Fenton said.
She also believes that no matter how hard it can be to work alongside everything else she does, it can also be very rewarding, “To work in a manual labor job is rewarding but also just as challenging,” Fenton added.
She went on to say, “The days where I have to wake up at 4:00 a.m. to head to my job so that I could make it to practice after school or get home late because I had a meeting in the morning sometimes made me question whether I really want to do this with my life. But it also teaches me that good things don’t come easily which in my opinion helps me be a better leader in FFA but also in other aspects of my life as a person or teammate,” Fenton said.
