With a passion for agriculture, some noteworthy achievements under her belt, and big plans for the future, Micquella Grima is one to watch.
Micquella grew up on a small property in Orchard Hills, NSW, that ran a few commercial beef cattle. Growing up, she experienced success in showing stud beef cattle for other local producers at regional and Royal shows across NSW, and this year, had the opportunity to attend the Rockhampton Beef Week in Queensland.
She says her exposure travelling to and working on different properties throughout NSW – from cattle stations to sheep stations to broad acre cropping and cotton properties – broadened her perspective of the Australian agricultural industry. It also strengthened her rural network and built relationships with many individuals who had studied at UNE.
“The opportunity to work with remarkable lecturers is unbelievably valuable.”
“Meeting people who had studied at UNE, and my degree in particular, encouraged me to explore UNE as an under-graduate study option.” She says that receiving a 2020/2021 UNE GRASS Scholarship – an award sponsored by Cotton Australia and the Upper Namoi Cotton growers Association – also helped to solidify her choice to study at UNE.
Having completed her first year of her Bachelor of Agriculture / Bachelor of Business (Majoring in Agribusiness) degree, Micquella says she appreciates the flexibility of UNE’s distance study options. She says the degree has allowed her to explore her areas of interest within the Agribusiness sector while also having the opportunity to grow her knowledge and broaden her perspectives on less familiar subject areas.
“The opportunity to undertake first-hand placements within industry leading professionals and work with remarkable lecturers is unbelievably valuable,” says Micquella. “UNE is renowned for its online learning system and I’ve found the platform to offer in-depth content and a supportive network which has been exceptional. I have also been surprised about how applicable both the agricultural and business content I learn is to my everyday life and the interconnected nature of different study units.”
Earlier this year, Micquella received the 2020 Angus Australia Norman Lethbridge Award, won the senior division of the 2021 Young Judges Competition at Rockhampton Beef Week, was nominated as the new Youth Representative of the NSW State Committee of Angus Australia, and was awarded a Royal Agricultural Society of NSW’s Rural Foundation Scholarship. She doesn’t plan to stop there. She says the support from these scholarships has significantly helped to support her studies and motivate her to work hard to fulfil her goals, while also opening up invaluable networking opportunities.
“My parents instilled in me a passion for working on the land, which has fuelled my journey within the industry so far and my motivation to study an Ag-based course,” she says. “Having grown up in the industry and having personally witnessed the devastating effects of drought, I one-day hope to do my part to increase the economic viability of farming enterprises during periods of long-term hardship and promote the longevity of farming enterprises.”
Micquella hopes to land in a graduate program once she completes her degree, and is open to opportunities in agronomy, livestock nutrition or the agribusiness sector. She also has some advice to other students starting out. “If someone is willing to take the time to support your learning, and invest in your potential, take the opportunity to gain as much as you can from the experience”.
