Pioneering Swiss philosopher and psychologist Jean Piaget said, “The principal goal of education is to create men who are capable of doing new things, not simply of repeating what other generations have done — men who are creative, inventive and discoverers.”

Photo by Tom Campbell

Kara and Kyle Kohlhagen have accumulated so many scholarships their parents didn’t have to spend a dime on their Purdue educations.

Our commitment in Purdue Agriculture is not only to provide our students with a solid education, but also to instill in them curiosity and critical thinking skills that are so important in our ever-changing world.

Echoing Piaget, Purdue President Martin C. Jischke has said that the most important responsibility of any generation is the education of the generation that follows.

Maintaining and growing the quality and diversity of our student body happens through our ability to provide our students with the resources they need. For many students, earning a college degree would be out of reach without scholarships funded through the generosity of alumni and friends of Purdue Agriculture.

Kyle and Kara Kohlhagen are outstanding examples of students who have been overwhelmingly successful, due in part to several scholarships each has been awarded.

They are siblings from a family of eight who grew up on a 3,000-acre farm in Rensselaer, Ind. Providing college funds for one child can be a challenge, much less providing for six. Their parents told them they would be responsible for their college expenses. Rising to the challenge, they excelled in high school and have demonstrated continued excellence throughout college.

Kyle and Kara each have carved their own niche in Purdue Agriculture, and they each are quick to mention that it wouldn’t have been possible without the help of scholarships.

Kyle, BS ’05, is a graduate student in the Department of Youth Development and Agricultural Education. During his four-year undergraduate career, he received $25,074 in scholarships and grants from 19 different sources. In addition to earning several prominent scholarships, he served as a College of Agriculture Council member and an Ag Ambassador, an Old Masters host, president of Fairway Cooperative House, and was named to the Mortar Board Class of 2004–05.

In graduate school, he is developing Web-based training focused on preventing the spread of disease in the poultry industry. His plans are for the program to be used by veterinarians, farmers and others in the food supply industry to learn how to prevent and inhibit the spread of diseases such as bird flu.

Kara, a senior studying agricultural sales and marketing, spent the spring semester at the University College of Dublin in Ireland, an experience she says wouldn’t have been possible without scholarship assistance.

Like Kyle, she is very involved on campus as a College of Agriculture Council member and an Ag Ambassador, and as a member of the Purdue Alumni Student Experience and the Purdue Foundation Student Board.

During her first three years at Purdue, she received $36,060 in scholarships from 15 different sources. Kara says the awards fuel her desire to maintain her academics so that she lives up to the faith the selection committee placed in her.

The rewards are many, but the bonds they’ve formed with scholarship sponsors and donors are near the top of the list. They are both thankful that so many alumni and friends of Purdue Agriculture understand and recognize the value of supporting current students by funding scholarships.

They both have resumes that established professionals might envy. They both know they wouldn’t be here without the assistance they’ve received. And Kyle sums everything up, “Donors help build success stories.”

To find out more about how your gift can impact the lives of Purdue Agriculture students, contact Agricultural Advancement at (800) 718-0094 or agadvancement@purdue.edu.

Contact Schmidt at caschmidt@purdue.edu