Student Unites Ag Background, Communication Skills, and Tribal Heritage to Create the Perfect Career

Mary Belle Zook grew up on a farm outside Waynoka, Oklahoma, a small town just east of the Panhandle, raising show animals and participating in 4-H and FFA. She vividly remembers the excitement of trying on her FFA jacket for the first time. “I am forever grateful for the memories, experiences, and lifelong connections I made through FFA,” she said. “It was during my time as the Waynoka FFA reporter that I realized my talent for writing and storytelling, which forever changed my life’s trajectory.”

College Experience Influences Career Path 

Zook knew she wanted to major in English at Oklahoma State University (OSU) — it was the only school she applied to. A year into the program, however, she felt something was missing. She contacted the agricultural communications department and, in a meeting with professor Shelly Legg, quickly realized agricultural communications was the degree meant for her.

“It’s not every day that your professors invite you to their home for dinner and to work through projects, but that is exactly the kind of professors who exist at OSU,” Zook said. “Not only did I receive tremendous support, but the coursework and projects equipped me with the skills and experiences needed to succeed.”

After graduation, Zook freelanced for a while before accepting a position as the communications coordinator for her Tribe, the Citizen Potawatomi Nation.

She currently serves as the communications director for the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative (IFAI) through the University of Arkansas School of Law. IFAI works with Indigenous communities nationwide to support them in establishing and expanding Tribal food systems and implementing federally funded programs.

Uniting Skills and Passions

Zook said her career unites her skills, passions, agricultural background, and Tribal heritage. She dissects high-level, complicated information and tailors it to a variety of audiences such as elected Tribal officials, policymakers, and legal professionals.

Her role encompasses a wide range of public and media relations to raise awareness of Tribal food and agriculture successes and opportunities. For example, collective efforts to highlight Tribal food delivery disruptions resulted in a Congressional hearing on Sept. 11, 2024, prompting the USDA to enact changes that have helped decrease delivery disruptions and ensure program participants have access to food.

“I see my career as a way to contribute to creating a brighter future, which is not only important to me as a Native woman but also as a Native mother and auntie,” Zook said. “We cannot be truly sovereign unless we can feed ourselves, and we cannot be truly sovereign if we do not have access to clean water and resources required to produce the food, fuel, and fiber needed to survive.”

The Big Picture

Zook also said she hopes her work inspires Native agricultural communicators and Tribal people to work in food and agriculture.

“If youth take one thing away, I want them to know that whatever you can do outside of agriculture, you can do within agriculture,” she said. “There has never been a better time than now to enter this space, which is full of warm and welcoming people who want to see you succeed.”

To learn more about IFAI, visit indigenousfoodandag.com.