Joseph Spence III will own a big farm someday—hopefully soon. But first, he will graduate from North Hardin High School in Radcliffe, Kentucky, then come to Kentucky State University for college.

Spence first came to Kentucky State five or six years ago, when a friend invited him to a summer camp at the university. He didn’t have any plans, so he went— and he ended up really liking agriculture. Coming to camps at Kentucky State became a regular occurrence.

“I went to one and got hooked and just kept on coming back,” Spence said.

Spence’s favorite camp he attended was the Summer Transportation Institute, a three-week residential camp funded by the Federal Highway Administration and focused on all things transportation. Participants travel all over to learn about the airline industry, cars, railroads and more.

funded by the Federal Highway Administration and focused on all things transportation. Participants travel all over to learn about the airline industry, cars, railroads and more.

“The highlight of the camp is at the end,” said Dr. Travella Free, 4-H youth development specialist. All participants are taken to the Louisville airport, where they meet minority pilots. With a pilot in the plane, each student gets to fly the plane from Louisville to Cincinnati or vice versa.

That activity is meant to show the students that they can be a pilot someday if they want— and Spence did want that, for a while. But the camps he has attended, plus the influence of his grandfather and friends' families, have made him want to be a farmer.

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“[My grandfather] used to farm really, really small, and he kind of got me into farming,” Spence said. “Once I saw that he did it on a small scale— a lot of my friends’ parents, they farm big-scale, and I realize I wanted to be there on the big-scale.”

Spence said the most valuable part of attending the camps are the contacts he has made, such as Kentucky State STEM coordinator Jeremy Sandifer and David Neville, a Kentucky State alumnus who volunteers with the STEM Summer Apprentice Program.

“Joseph has significant potential with just about anything he focuses on,” Neville said. “I think Joseph’s involvement with Kentucky State has benefited both the university and the young person.”

Spence said he plans to attend Kentucky State University for college in fall 2021 because he's become comfortable with the university.

“Stick with what you know,” he said. “You won’t go wrong.”

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