Annah Latane

Young Alumni Council Member Bio

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How did you end up at Virginia Tech and in your major?

• Virginia Tech was the only place I applied to (good thing I got in!). I initially planned to major in International Studies. As I neared the end of my freshman year, I realized that a liberal arts-only degree wasn't fulfilling everything I wanted from college. I had enjoyed an honors economics course that I had previously taken, and my dad (a Hokie and Farm Bureau field staff director, whose father was also a farmer and a Hokie) steered me gently to the Agricultural and Applied Economics department. Despite my misgivings that agriculture was all about corn prices and seed varieties, I ended up focusing on sustainability in my International Studies and Agricultural and Applied Economics degrees. This has provided a nice way to round out my ability to think through issues from multiple perspectives.

Class year(s) and degree(s)

• 2011; BS Agricultural and Applied Economics, BA International Studies.

Favorite Virginia Tech memory

• Snow days in Blacksburg always felt extra special. I may have been responsible for "borrowing" a few Owens trays for sledding.

Why should a prospective student consider agricultural and applied economics? 

• A degree in applied economics is a gateway to critical thinking and problem-solving. Whether you focus on the agricultural industry or take the concepts of economics and apply them to other issues, this degree exposes students to the ideas of balancing trade-offs and using data for decisions that can affect thorny, global issues. This will serve students well in whatever workplace or career vocation they choose.

Fun fact about yourself.

• One of my most rewarding early career experiences was working with Haitian farmers, supplying sorghum for the Heineken-owned brewery, and providing them with new digital tools. I couldn't have guessed my AgEcon degree would land me a gig like that!