Looking for 'Dirty, Sunburnt, and Exhausted'

Katie Butler

Senior Katie Butler visited a career fair recently with a bruise around her left eye, earned during a boxing class the previous weekend.

“Couldn’t stop the right hook,” said Butler, a U.S. Air Force veteran enrolled at The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES).

So, to meet with prospective employers, she wore her purple shirt to match her eye.

As spring 2020 commencement draws near and Butler completes her BS in construction systems management, she hopes to match herself in a career befitting her personality.

“I want to go home every day dirty, sunburnt, and exhausted—forever!” Butler said.

She said something similar a few years ago when she interviewed with Matthew Sullivan for her current student job, working grounds maintenance at Farm Science Review at Molly Caren Agricultural Center in London, Ohio.

“I told her. This could be the perfect place for you to work,” said Sullivan, Farm Science Review superintendent. “When I learned Katie was in the military, it was a pretty easy hire. You can pick out students’ personality. I could tell hers was fun-loving, genuine, and there was care there as well, and you could pick that out pretty quickly.”

Butler enjoys working year-round at FSR, where she’s mostly outdoors taking care of the grounds and buildings, she said. “I will miss everyone.”

Butler is a “genuine individual” who “brings a unique and entertaining approach to life,” her current supervisor, Garrett Nowak, said.

“She does not shy away from hard work and is quick to pitch in where help is needed,” said Nowak, site manager for FSR. “Her background makes her a versatile member of our team, as she is comfortable in both leadership and supporting roles.”

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