William Ensor truly thinks the Institute of Applied Agriculture saved his life, his professional life, that is.
“The IAA, coupled with the AGNR fraternity, were the two best experiences I had in my life. I had no drive. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but after two years at Maryland, the tone for the rest of my life was set,” said the 1972 graduate and former Business Farming major.
Above: William Ensor (third from right) poses with IAA classmates in 1972
“I used what I learned from the IAA,” he continued. “It gave me good grounding.”
As a business farming major, Ensor applied his knowledge to his family farm before getting a degree in recreation from Hood College. With his degree in hand, Ensor spent 10 years running an outdoor adventure education company in Leesburg, VA. Then he spent 25 years working as a property manager for the Girl Scouts in Washington, D.C., and in Baltimore.
If he had to identify one quality that he believe is vital for success, Ensor says it would be communication! “It was the hardest course for me personally but has served me well throughout my entire career,” he said. “You need to know how to communicate in order to do the most important thing to succeed, which is to learn everything you can about everything you can!”
As we celebrate our 50th year, the IAA will shine a weekly spotlight on one of our distinguished alumni. Remember to save the date for our 50th Anniversary Gala on May 14th at the College Park Marriott Hotel & Conference Center.
