Before her freshman year of high school in Des Moines, Emily Westergaard dreaded any schoolwork having to do with science. But that changed after she participated in the inaugural World Food Prize Youth Institute, which opened her eyes to the importance of science in addressing world issues such as sustainability. At Grinnell College, Westergaard studied biology and economics through her major in international development. After an internship in Kenya and volunteer work in Namibia, Westergaard surprised her family and herself by moving back to Des Moines, where she has spent most of the past 3 1/2 years working in fund raising for the World Food Prize Foundation. One of Westergaard’s responsibilities is the organization’s Laureate Awards Ceremony, which will be held Oct.19.

Did you know about this organization growing up in Des Moines?

I went to North High School and Central Academy. North was one of the first high schools to participate in the Youth Institute in 1994, and that’s how I got involved with the World Food Prize initially.

Did you have an interest in science at the time?

Before I did the first Youth Institute, I was very much not into science and not interested at all in taking advanced science courses. I was much more into English and drama. But one of my teachers encouraged me to participate in the Youth Institute. I wrote a paper on sustainability and presented it to Dr. Norman Borlaug (Iowa native, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and founder of World Food Prize) and the other laureates.

How did the Youth Institute affect you?

It really opened my eyes to a lot of issues that, as a 14-year-old, I hadn’t given much thought to, such as food security and sustainable agriculture. I actually did take a lot more science courses in high school after that. As a junior, I did the Youth Institute again, and that really convinced me that I wanted to study more biology and economics. The institute was really responsible for my education path and ultimately, my coming back here.

Did you continue to be involved with this organization during college?

In 2000, while I was in college, I was selected for one of the Borlaug-Ruan Internships. Each year, up to 13 students who have gone through the Youth Institute receive eight-week internships at international research centers all over the world. I went to the International Livestock Research Institute in Nairobi, Kenya.

Did that internship lead to your volunteer work in Africa?

Grinnell has something they call Grinnell Corps. It’s modeled after the Peace Corps but it’s volunteer assignments for Grinnell graduates. They have 10 different positions all over the world. I received a position at the Desert Research Foundation of Namibia. I spent about 18 months there working at a research station in the middle of the desert, doing everything from giving tours of the area around the station to helping the scientists.

What did you take away from your time abroad?

It opened my eyes to so many things. My internship got me interested in international development and thinking about how I could help the global community in some small way.

What were your plans after Africa?

I came back to Des Moines to volunteer for the 2003 World Food Prize Symposium, thinking that I would just be here temporarily while I applied to graduate schools or looked for a job. I ended up getting offered a job as development coordinator in January 2004.

You left that position in August 2005. What brought you back here this past May?

Since my background at Grinnell was in biology and economics, I felt like I wanted to get more into research. So I went to Pioneer (Hi-Bred International Inc.) as a research associate. It was an amazing company to work for, but I realized while I was there that my passion lies with the World Food Prize. Surprisingly to myself, I really missed the diversity of the daily tasks that I had here, from working on development and events to another aspect of my job, the library project.

How is the renovation of the old downtown library progressing?

We expect to take possession of the property this fall and finish the project in 2009. It will be called the Norman Borlaug Hall of Laureates, and it will be a museum and an educational center, a place where we hold our events and really just a monument to the work of Dr. Borlaug and John Ruan and all of these laureates. I really believe it will be a centerpiece of the community, especially being located on the Principal Riverwalk. It’s such a fun project and I would just love to be able to say 10 years from now that I helped with the project.

Did you ever think you would end up living and working in Des Moines?

Definitely not. When I returned from Namibia in 2003, I was planning on applying to grad school and going off to school and living somewhere else. But working for the World Food Prize was such a unique opportunity and something that I thought was worth staying for. Now I have really come to love Des Moines and working downtown, and I see this as a place I could spend the rest of my life.

– Sharon Baltes