Ann a Schmenk is a former Ohio Soybean Council Foundation Scholarship recipient who graduated from The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences with a B.S. in Food Science and Technology.

Q: What inspired you to pursue your degree?
A: Growing up on a soybean and corn farm and working on my uncle’s dairy farm feeding all those hungry workers had a huge influence on me pursuing a degree in Food Science. I began cooking and gardening from a very young age with my mom and grandma. 4-H and FFA activities, including placing at the State FFA Food Science CDE, furthered my love of the science behind food and agriculture.

Q: How are you using your degree in your current position? Are you still connected to the agriculture industry?
A: Every day at work, I use the knowledge I gained from a degree in Food Science to design powdered food products that are both safe and function well. I continue to learn new knowledge every day and this degree gave me a good base to build upon. I am still very much connected to the agricultural industry because at my company we source and use food ingredients that initially came from farmers. We then sell our product to other companies who make the products that customers buy on the store shelves.

Q: What is your current position and where are you located?
A: I am a food technologist at Balchem Ingredient Solutions in Defiance, Ohio. The division I work in makes powdered food ingredients. My job includes designing new products and providing technical assistance if any problems should come up with existing products along with much, much more!

Q: What has been an accomplishment you are most proud of in your career?
A: The first product I designed that was made in production is now an ingredient in a canned coffee beverage being sold to consumers. The food powder is meant to add some more nutritional value to the beverage.

Q: How has the Ohio Soybean Council Foundation Scholarship helped you pursue your passion?
A: Receiving an Ohio Soybean Council Foundation Scholarship helped me immensely to pursue my passion for food science. Since I was paying for my own college, it allowed me to focus on classes and other activities such as volunteering to put on the FFA Food Science CDE, conducting research on high oleic soybeans, and developing a new food product. All of these experiences aided me in landing the job that I have today.

Q: What do you like to do when you’re not creating new food products?
A: When not at work, I love to cook and garden, help with the family farms, and am in the midst of planning my wedding.

Q: Share some words of wisdom.
A: As a recent alumnus some advice I would have for those still in school is to make sure to network with industry professionals as much as possible. Not only will this help you figure out if your current chosen career path is right for you, it can also help you to land a future job. (Networking helped me get my job!)

Learn more about the Ohio Soybean Council Foundation and its scholarship program.