Why did you initially decide to apply to the Agbioscience Mentorship Program (AMP)? What were you hoping to gain from this experience?

My name is Sophia Chaplin. When I applied in for the AMP program, I was a senior Ball State. One of the biggest reasons that I did it was because of all the amazing people that I would get to connect with and experiences that I would have, whether it was just a quick passive conversation or a formal one-on-one conversation. Needless to say, it fully lived up to my expectations.

You know, I went into it really open-minded. Obviously, it’s new program. So I was really excited to be the guinea pig on something that was launching off the ground. But one of the biggest takeaways that I wanted was genuinely just to have that person that I can lean on, whether it’s, hey, read my resume, or hey, I’m really having a bad week. It’s finals week, and I need somebody to lift me up. Robyn, my mentor, has been amazing throughout the entire process.

Who is your mentor and how do your skills and interests align with their background?

My mentor is Robyn Heine. Her and I work in completely different industries, but both of which are very people forward. So, you know, where she’s more on like the tech and startup side of things, I’m actually in real estate. We’re both in very people forward roles and she’s been an awesome asset to have, whether it was getting that job or, you know, finding those skills within myself and applying them in my career.

What have you learned from your mentor so far this year?

Be comfortable being uncomfortable. She’s really pushed me to lean into the things that might seem scary in the moment, but those are the biggest learning opportunities you’re going to have. And she’s just a phone call away, whether, like I said, if it’s just a quick conversation of, I’m having a bad day and I really need somebody to talk to, or, hey, I just got this really great job opportunity, what do you think? So yeah, I adore her, she’s been amazing.

What has been your favorite part of this program and experience?

Everything seems so cliche, but genuinely, I mean every step of the way, whether it was growing those relationships throughout these last couple of months to sitting down and having those dinners with all of the different people and their different trades and networking. I’ve met so many people and made so many connections on LinkedIn or Instagram that I’m able to see what they’re doing in their careers, and it’s been really inspiring.

What is something you would tell any college student or young professional that might be thinking about applying for AMP 2026?

Jump jump jump. I mean whether it’s this experience or you know just meeting those people do it because you’re going to make so many of these amazing networking opportunities and meet so many cool people within AMP or even you know connections with people who the AMP individuals might have connections to. Just write your own book and this is just one chapter that I think will be so impactful for many.

Field Atlas AMP is a guided year-long mentorship program that connects late college and early professionals to industry leaders excelling in their field. Fast track your professional journey through impactful mentorship and connection. Apply for our 2026 AMP Cohort here!

Mentor: Anna Haldewang, Corporate Engagement Manager for Started Up Foundation

Mentee: Fabio Castiblanco, PhD candidate at Purdue University

Why did you initially decide to apply to the Agbioscience Mentorship Program (AMP)? What were you hoping to gain from this experience?

Fabio: As a mentee, I was looking towards learning more about engaging with corporate, gaining new skills, developing new skills in networking, and also getting experiences, like first-hand experiences from my mentor. I got a lot from her.

Anna: And I was hoping to help share my knowledge with being in the innovation space and startup world for the past eight years and my experience today with Agbioscience and other companies. So, hoping to share my resources with talented students like Fabio and be able to provide the talents that I have and be able to share that with him and help him grow in his career.

How do your skills and interests align with each other as a mentor and mentee? What have you learned?

Anna: My background is as an executive in the startup space, and when AgriNovus paired us together, Fabio has a PhD in electrical and computer engineering. I thought, okay, how is this going to match? Where, where can I provide him expertise? And a lot of that had to do with my networking within the space and being able to share my sales skillsets and help him navigate different areas of the social aspect of his career.

Fabio: So, we connected well. There were experiences that we both had, even though we were in very different domains. Also, a few times I fell out of my comfort zone, which meant that I was learning something. So that was great.

What has been your favorite part of this program and experience?

Anna: My favorite part was getting to know Fabio and building that trust with him and I hope that in the future he still knows that he can come to me for anything that he needs as he continues to succeed in his own career.

Fabio: What I really liked a lot was more than a mentor-mentee relationship, like establishing a friendship bond. That’s what’s most valuable for me.

What is something you would tell any college student or young professional that might be thinking about applying for AMP 2026?

Anna: For any student out there that’s looking to be a part of the Mentor-Mentee program, I highly recommend it. You’re building a special connection between you and your mentor that will hopefully go beyond just this program.

Fabio: For anyone interested in joining, it’s so worth it. You’ll gain a lot and more than knowledge. Having someone by your side is probably the best.

Field Atlas AMP is a guided year-long mentorship program that connects late college and early professionals to industry leaders excelling in their field. Fast track your professional journey through impactful mentorship and connection. Apply for our 2026 AMP Cohort here!

Why did you initially decide to apply to the Agbioscience Mentorship Program (AMP)? What were you hoping to gain from this experience?

Hey, my name is Jean Paul Iyakaremye. I decided to join this AMP program because I wanted to meet a mentor to learn how in industry professionals achieve their goals.

Who is your mentor and how do your skills and interests align with their background?

My mentor is Claudia Nari from Inari Company. Our skills align because I work on plant genetics and the breeding, which is also her specialty. I want to use her expertise to be able to prepare myself for future careers.

What have you learned from your mentor so far this year?

Oh, it’s a lot. From how to plan your career to how to be a good team player and also how to understand that this field is changing very quickly. She taught me how best to adapt to different changes to stay ahead of the game.

What has been your favorite part of this program and experience?

Two, I mainly have two favorite pieces of this program. One is a monthly meeting with my mentor. Another one is how we meet here in Indianapolis as a whole team to interact not only with my mentor but also other professionals.

What is something you would tell any college student or young professional that might be thinking about applying for AMP 2026?

The AMP program is really very useful. One, because they match you with a professional who can help you not only think about your professional life, but also learn from them what they’ve accomplished as a way to inspire you towards what you want to achieve.

Field Atlas AMP is a guided year-long mentorship program that connects late college and early professionals to industry leaders excelling in their field. Fast track your professional journey through impactful mentorship and connection. Apply for our 2026 AMP Cohort here!

Why did you initially decide to apply to the Agbioscience Mentorship Program (AMP)? What were you hoping to gain from this experience?
Hi, my name is Mackensi Schneider, and I signed up for the AMP program because I was really looking for mentorship and guidance that was not in my direct line of studies or careers.

Who is your mentor and how do your skills and interests align with their background?
My mentor is Amy Jo Jones, and I feel like we are very similar people, which I love. I think we’re both very sociable and outgoing people, and while we don’t have backgrounds that align career-wise, I think we definitely align personality-wise.

What have you learned from your mentor so far this year?
Amy has taught me a lot of confidence and how to make what I’m doing my own. For example, in my internship this year, she really taught me how to speak up and tell my mentors and my managers what I was looking to get out of the experience and not just accept what they were wanting from me.

What has been your favorite part of this program and experience?
My favorite part of this program was just having the constant communication and having the set questions to kind of guide our conversations.

What is something you would tell any college student or young professional that might be thinking about applying for AMP 2026?
I would advise a college student to just try everything. I think one of the things Amy has really taught and instilled in me is to not be scared to try new things. And you never know what can happen if you just try something new.

Field Atlas AMP is a guided year-long mentorship program that connects late college and early professionals to industry leaders excelling in their field. Fast track your professional journey through impactful mentorship and connection. Apply for our 2026 AMP Cohort here!