Merck Animal Health has been a proud sponsor of National FFA for 58 years because we share the same values, including a desire to support students and develop future leaders. This year, we met the National FFA Officers at Glencliff High School in Nashville, Tenn. (pictured above), to meet with a teacher who is bringing our collective values to life by making a difference in the lives of his students and helping them achieve their dreams.
“We’re really proud to support the Glencliff FFA chapter,” said Allison Flinn, DVM, the executive director of value chain and consumer affairs at Merck Animal Health. “Hank Cardwell’s passion for agricultural education was evident from the moment I met him, and it makes a difference for his students every day as he works to find experiences with local businesses and opportunities for community involvement,” she added.
Hank Cardwell has been teaching at Glencliff for 19 years and helped establish the Academy of Agriculture, Automotive and Technology, one of four college-themed career academies at Glencliff, along with the high school’s FFA chapter. Founded in 1957, Glencliff is one of the most diverse schools in Tennessee. Students speak more than 20 languages, including 10 Indigenous Mayan languages and come from more than 40 countries and a wide range of economic, educational, and cultural communities. Many have experienced a disruption in their formal education. Cardwell says what drives him is the desire to see students broaden their ideas of what is possible for their future.
Left to right: Scott Bormann, Merck Animal Health; Steve Nash, owner, Nash Family Creamery; Allison Flinn, Merck Animal Health; Emily Gossett, National FFA Officer; Kanyon Huntington, National FFA Officer; and Justin Hull, Merck Animal Health.
Established 10 years ago, the Glencliff FFA chapter now has 102 members who are actively involved in a biotech classroom created by Cardwell to help them learn skills they’ll need for a career in life sciences. Merck Animal Health is proud to partner with the chapter through a three-year grant providing ongoing financial support to further equity, diversity and inclusion in the field of agriculture.
“I was also really impressed by the school leadership,” Dr. Flinn said. They are a great example of what it means to be inclusive and empowering, so students feel free to show up as themselves,” she continued. “The creation of that kind of environment is really important for students to get the best education and figure out what they want to do next.”
“The Merck Animal Health grant has made it possible for more students to take experiential field trips and attend retreats — all of which help them develop the leadership skills and behaviors they’ll need in the world following graduation,” Cardwell said. “It also enabled each FFA member to have his/her own blue jacket — something that’s very exciting for the students.” One student remarked that being involved in FFA has helped her “have confidence in herself and encouraged her to lead by example.”
“At Merck Animal Health, we are unconditionally committed to future leaders in our industry, and National FFA is too,” said Scott Bormann, senior vice president of North American commercial business at Merck Animal Health. “These students are the future, and it’s important we give back to organizations like National FFA and others that are investing in the next generation,” he added. “Teachers like Cardwell enable students to grow and develop their own leadership skills, and they are worth their weight in [blue and] gold.”
