Annie Boudreau’s love of animals and farming began at an early age. 

“I started raising chickens when I was in elementary school, and then I started breeding rabbits,” she recalls. “Eventually, I started breeding and selling dairy goats in high school. I just fell in love with working with animals.”

At a point when she was dealing with personal and academic struggles in high school, her teacher recommended shadowing classes in the local middle school. It was life-changing experience. Boudreau discovered a special connection with the middle schoolers. 

“So, going into college, that was in the back of my head,” says the senior Middle Level Education major. “Okay, I love children and working with middle schoolers to help them see their full potential and feel empowered. But I also love animals, community building, and farming.”

In her sophomore year, Boudreau got involved with the CREAM (Cooperation for Real Education and Agricultural Management) program at the UVM Dairy Farm. Students in the two-semester program work as a team to run the farm in a fully hands-on environment.

As her final project for CREAM, Boudreau initiated a partnership to connect local youth with the farm. 

“I thought it would be great for them to learn more about where their food comes from and what farmers do,” she says. “And if a student is struggling in their personal life or academically, maybe a activity like this could help them experience how it feels to grow a relationship with an animal.”

Boudreau’s innovative Adopt-a-Calf program became the capstone experience for her Place-Based Education Certificate. 

“I wanted to partner with a school in the Burlington community for students who don't already have these opportunities,” she explains. “So my advisor Kathleen Brinegar connected me with Hunt Middle School.” 

"Seeing our middle schoolers interact with the cows, learn about their anatomy and the dairy industry, things that are so centric to Vermont, was really powerful. We are grateful to Annie and team for the experience.” – Lisa Klarides G'23, Hunt Middle School teacher and UVM graduate

In the weeks leading up to the field trip to the farm, Boudreau created weekly online newsletters with different themes and topics for the students. She connected with their teachers every week to integrate content applicable to what they were covering in school. 

“I tried to feature different cows based on the topics we discussed,” says Boudreau. “We talked about food systems, manure, cow personalities, cow stomachs and how their digestive system works. We also talked about migrant justice and the importance of immigrant workers in Vermont.”

The middle schoolers submitted weekly questions that inspired topics for upcoming newsletters.

“Aurora was the name of the Holstein cow we partnered with because I knew that she would be due to give birth during the program,” explains Boudreau. “So at first, the newsletters focused on learning about Aurora, her friends on the farm, and what her life looks like. Then we covered Aurora giving birth. We did a quick emergency newsletter for that.”

The program culminated with 113 students from Hunt coming to the farm over the course of two days. 

“That that was a really big moment for me,” Boudreau says. “Seeing the kids come to the barn with all their wonder, curiosity, and questions:

‘Hey that’s farmer Annie!’

‘Where is Shadow?’

‘Is Pecan still feeling sick today?’

“You could tell that they read and engaged with the newsletters. They were so excited to see everything. Just like the farmers and I were excited to see them.” 

Boudreau had stations set up for the students to explore a variety of hands-on activities related to the interests they expressed. “We made butter, tested milk samples, and had a case study learning about a cow that was sick and how to handle that.” 

And of course, the students met their adopted calf, Anastasia, who they had named.

Adopt-a-Calf was made possible with the support of people from across the university. Middle Level Education students, Place-Based Education students, CREAM students and barn staff all volunteered to help during the field trip. The stations and activities Boudreau planned came to life with volunteers sharing their expertise and skills with the middle schoolers. 

“The whole experience was so heartwarming and fulfilling,” says Boudreau. “I felt like this is what my future could look like. Partnering with a community, with farming, with animals, and seeing the children so excited and inspired.”

”Annie’s project exemplifies the type of community-oriented, interdisciplinary, and justice oriented teaching and learning that we promote in our middle level program. I’m excited to see how she continues to implement this type of programming in her own classroom next year.” – Dr. Kathleen Brinegar, UVM Middle Level Education Program Coordinator

As she wraps up her illustrious UVM undergraduate journey, Boudreau’s resume showcases an range of “learn by doing” experiences. Currently, she is finishing up her full-time student teaching internship at Shelburne Community School where she previously completed her special education practicum. 

Prior to Shelburne, she completed a place-based teaching practicum at Edmunds Middle School in Burlington, worked as an after school program instructor at Edmunds, and spent time as a summer camp coordinator in Stowe. 

Along the way, Boudreau gravitated toward student leadership roles on campus. She served as a senator for the Student Government Association, as a Pep Band leader, and as representative on the Student Advisory Board (SAB) for the College of Education and Social Services (CESS).

"I joined SAB because I wanted a way to give back to the CESS community that helped me become the person and future teacher I am today," she says. "Currently I am working with a group to create a peer mentoring program. This program will ease the transition into college and help first year students build connections with their peers and feel a sense of belonging in the CESS, UVM, and Burlington communities." 

With ongoing support from her advisors, faculty, staff and peers, Boudreau blazed a unique academic pathway full of community-engaged learning and leadership experiences. In doing so, she found a way to connect all of her passions.