From Sheep to Student Leadership: Jaymie Poujade's Path at LBCC

From raising sheep on her small farm to serving as Vice President of Student Leadership, Jaymie Poujade has found ways to combine her passion for community, agriculture, and helping others. While pursuing a degree in Animal Technology at Linn-Benton Community College, Poujade balances her studies with leadership responsibilities, mental health advocacy, and a growing flock at home. Her journey reflects a commitment to both self-sufficiency and service.

Where are you from? Where’d you graduate from?

Well here in Albany. I moved here when I was 8 so I consider this my home. I’m a GED student. I got my GED February of this year.

Why did you choose LB?

Convenience. And they have their Ag program too, which was kind of my thing. I love animals.

What is your major and what do you hope to do with your degree?

Animal technology. It’s a terminal degree to get us into the field. Ours is designed to go directly into farming.

For me a lot of my educations, though, was for actually personal reasons, because I have sheep at home. So it’s kind of a supplement to what I have going on at home.

What do you have at home? 

The sheep. I’ve got my flock of four soon to be seven ewes (female sheep). And this is my second year raising sheep. We just had 5 lambs born - 3 girls and 2 boys full. We’re producing to fill our freezer with the meat in this economy being so expensive. A lot of the reason for my degree was not necessarily for a career aspect for me. A lot of it was to learn how to manage my animals. So I can become more self-sustainable. I’m a peer wellness specialist with the state of Oregon, so I’m certified in mental health and substance abuse. I ran the warming shelter program for inclement weather in Corvallis for a little over three years. Managing the people in the rooms, so that’s where my actual career is. I’m still doing case management 

Were you involved in Student Leadership last year? 

Yes, I was an executive assistant, and I took the notes for meetings

What got you interested in Student Leadership?

The community. We were asked by Rob to come down and interview and it went into the Student Union. So we went down and I saw the environment. I was like ‘cool this is something fun and exciting.’ It was fun to be in the community and a lot of what I did. Because I had extra time, I hoped out with the events. 

What made you run for Vice Presifent for this next school year? What are your goals?

I wanted to have a bigger role and a bigger impact, and I felt like there was a lot of things that I could tidy up within student leadership and get a lot of things moving more smooth than they were. I want to better the communication that we have going on with things like the board and with President Avery, and build better relationships and sense of community within our leadership with the School’s leadership. Hopefully we can get ome pathways that work for both of us. Especially with the budget cuts that are happening.

What, if anything, is in the works for next year? 

It’s been kind of a rough transition. The previous Vice President had to step down early and it was rough on the team because we had to settle in while training. I had three days of training. We’re going to be doing a student led Monte Carlo event in the fall. It’ll be cheap enough that the students can actually participate in it. Something else we’re changing a bit is we’re trying to do more bigger events than the smaller ones.

What are some of your other hobbies that you enjoy doing outside of school when you’re not doing homework?

Actually, I’m big into dog sports. I have a border collie who should be ranks about seventh in the nation. We just ran our first race this year and this year’s average was 29.26 miles an hour at our first race. His name is Indiana Bones. 

At a Glance:

Jaymie Poujade

Occupation: Vice President of Student Leadership Council

Hometown: Albany, Oregon

Education: Pursuing a degree in Agriculture at LB

Before going to LBCC: Worked for more than 3 years managing a warmth shelter in Corvallis. Works with the state of Oregon in mental health

Other Interests: Taking care of her sheep and spending time with her Border Collie.