Dear Thorobred Family,
Last Friday in Louisville, the eyes of fifth graders from Luhr Elementary lit up when
I mentioned pawpaw ice cream. We had gathered at Sam Swope JA BizTown® to cut the
ribbon on Kentucky State University’s new Urban Ag Discovery Center.
The ice cream was a treat, but also an entryway to research, product development, and entrepreneurship. In time, the students may discover that its flavor carries a Kentucky State story. The University operates the world’s only full-time pawpaw research program; Pawpaw Ale-8-One, whose flavor was developed with our researchers, is one commercial application.
That moment revealed how learning often begins: curiosity starts with the familiar and grows as young people discover where their interests might lead.
Located in the heart of the Commonwealth’s largest metropolitan area, our innovative new learning hub at BizTown will serve thousands of elementary students annually, introducing them to agricultural careers in business, finance, food systems, crop production, and animal health. Lynsey Crumbie, our Cooperative Extension state specialist in entrepreneurship, led its development with Junior Achievement of Kentuckiana, Farm Credit Mid-America, and WEHR Constructors.
That commitment to opening possibilities continues this week through Kentucky State’s fourth annual Ag Roundup. Middle and high school students from more than 30 schools will be on campus to explore robotics, drones, aquaculture, soil health, nutrition, animal science, and related careers. Last year’s event drew more than 1,000 students from nine Kentucky counties and Michigan.
Along that path of discovery, our undergraduate and graduate students play a central role. They will present research, lead activities, mentor younger visitors, and build professional connections at 4-H Ville and Ag Fest along the Yellow Brick Road in the heart of our campus. In helping others learn, they deepen their knowledge and exercise leadership.
An educational pathway does not always announce itself. It may begin in a laboratory, a conversation, a campus visit, or even a spoonful of pawpaw ice cream. What matters is that curiosity finds somewhere to go.
I am grateful to all who make these moments possible. As Kentucky’s only public HBCU and the Commonwealth’s 1890 land-grant university, we prepare our students and extend opportunity to generations still discovering what they might become.
Together, Onward and Upward,
Koffi C. Akakpo, Ph.D.
President
Kentucky State University