(Photos by Jason Halley / University Photographer)
Raised in Cambria, California, a small coastal town where her high school graduating class numbered just 32 students, Elizabeth Reed was sure of two things: she wanted to branch out beyond her hometown, and she wanted to work with livestock.
“I was with the same people from preschool through high school,” Reed said. “I really valued those connections, but there was also something appealing about the idea of going somewhere new—somewhere I could walk into Target without everyone knowing who I am.”
Initially she had her sights set on UC Davis for pre-veterinary studies. But when she learned Chico State had an FFA Field Day team and realized it was far enough north to feel like a fresh start, she decided to apply.
“I didn’t want to just be a number; I still wanted to have that community feeling,” Reed said.
She later attended Choose Chico, where she was struck by the beauty of the University’s red brick buildings, but more importantly the instant sense of connection she felt among the faculty and students within the College of Agriculture.
“It really was just how welcoming everyone was,” Reed recalled. “I could tell that everyone knew and genuinely liked each other each other, you don’t really see that anywhere else.”
She submitted her intent to enroll that same day.
Now a third-year student studying animal science, Reed has built a reputation for taking every opportunity that comes her way. Working at the University Farm’s organic dairy unit, she’s gained hands-on experience milking, managing cattle health, overseeing pasture management, and even assisting with birthing’s.
She has also completed multiple internships through the farm, including an agricultural business internship focused on employee training and management, and a student assistant role supporting coursework at the dairy.
“I didn’t have any dairy experience before interning,” Reed said. “I really only had beef experience, so it was nice to learn about a whole other industry.”
That curiosity has extended into research. Reed is currently developing a project analyzing the dairy’s Afimilk health monitoring system, which tracks milk weights, rumination, activity, and cattle health data across generations of animals.
“We have one cow who’s on her fifth or sixth generation of calves milking at our dairy,” she said. “It’s like a family tree and you get to see traits passed through all of them.”
Beyond her work at the farm, Reed has become a campus leader through Ag-tivate, the College of Agriculture’s annual orientation event. After attending as a student during her first year, she has since served as assistant coordinator and then chair—and is now cochairing the event for a second year while mentoring the student who will take it over next.
“I’ve been a part of it every year I’ve been at Chico,” she said. “I love being able to pay it forward.”
For Reed, balancing work, school, internships, and research wasn’t always guaranteed.
“I have no financial support from my family, If I didn’t have scholarships, I would not be able to go to college at all,” she said “It’s really just me on my own.”
The Lt. Robert Merton Rawlins Merit Scholarship has been central to that stability—allowing her to keep a job she loves at the dairy rather than taking on additional work purely for income.
“I was really shocked to get it,” she admitted. “My grades aren’t perfect—I love to do a little bit of everything. I just feel truly honored.”
Looking ahead, Reed hopes to eventually teach animal science at the collegiate level, though she says she’d be equally happy working as a producer on a farm.
“As long as I just get to stay around livestock, mainly cattle—I’ll be happy.”
