CLEARFIELD – Lock Haven University alumnus Jordan Stephens, ’15, got just what he was hoping for – a great job in the community he loves.
Stephens, a 2011 graduate of the Curwensville Area High School began attending the Lock Haven University Clearfield campus that fall studying business administration.
All of the classes required for a Bachelor’s in business administration are offered at the LHU Clearfield campus.
For Stephens, this was a significant selling point because, he says, “I could live at home and commute to campus. This saved money by not paying for expenses involved with room and board and traveling. Plus, I was able to continue working my part-time job at the Curwensville Feed Store around classes.”
The last semester of his senior year at LHU Clearfield, Stephens arranged for an internship with Pennsylvania Grain Processing, LLC in Clearfield. During his internship, he worked under the plant manager tracking the production process, building spread sheets, trialing, and trending data to find the most cost effective ingredients for the plant.
According to Stephens, the internship gave him the opportunity to fulfill degree requirements, learn about the agricultural industry, and demonstrate that he could contribute to the organization. When he graduated from LHU Clearfield in May of 2015, Stephens was offered an entry-level position working in shipping and receiving at PGP.
After working in the role for over a year he earned a promotion to merchandiser. He now sells the feed by-product of ethanol production, which is called Dried Distiller Grain or DDG.
He says, “DDG is the spent grain or mash left over after the fermentation process, dried and used as animal feed.”
Stephens adds, “My degree from LHU Clearfield, particularly the internship, helped me obtain this career. Coming into PGP as an intern and connecting with the managers and administration before working out on the front lines in the plant was certainly a win-win.”
For Stephens, his position at PGP is the just the start of a promising career made possible by LHU Clearfield. He believes that going forward, “the sky is the limit, because, if you work hard, show passion for what you do, and most of all have respect for yourself and others, anything is possible.”