Cambell Douglas and Morgan Young, will join hundreds of other SIU graduates receiving their diplomas Saturday. Young, of Benton, has earned a Master of Science in agribusiness economics at just 20 years old, while Douglas, of Karnak, will receive his bachelor’s degree in agribusiness economics with a minor in agrisystems at only 19. (Photo by Russell Bailey)
May 08, 2025
SIU agribusiness majors earn degrees at accelerated pace
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Some people are just in a hurry to get their lives started and make a difference. Take Southern Illinois University Carbondale students Cambell Douglas and Morgan Young, for instance.
Young and Douglas will join hundreds of other SIU graduates receiving their diplomas on May 10. Young, of Benton, has earned a Master of Science in agribusiness economics, while Douglas, of Karnak, will receive his bachelor’s degree in agribusiness economics, with a minor in agrisystems.
But unlike most of the other graduates, Young and Douglas will be picking up their degrees a few years earlier than most: Douglas at just 19 with Young at a ripe old 20.
Both said they chose their fields based on interests and background – Young, an FFA member in high school with interests in natural resource management and a bison-ranching uncle, and Douglas growing up on a farm with the desire to follow in his father’s footsteps.
But how did they get so far so fast in such a challenging field? For Douglas, getting a jump on his future during high school was key. He managed to graduate from both high school and his community college in May 2023, earning a prestigious Chancellor’s Scholarship from SIU along the way.
“I was able to earn half of my total credits in high school from dual credit courses offered by the high school and Shawnee Community College,” he said. “Graduating quickly was a goal for me because it would give me a head start on getting established in the workforce.”
Young said she also enrolled in community college courses while still in high school, from which she graduated at age 17. By that time, she already had earned two associate degrees in arts and sciences.
“I knew if I were to further my education, I would want to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale,” she said. “A memorable part of my childhood is attending countless men’s basketball games with my dad and uncle. So, during my senior year, I applied to SIU Carbondale and started in fall 2022 to pursue my undergraduate degree in agribusiness economics.”
Maintaining her pace, it took Young only four semesters to pick up her bachelor’s degree at SIU, which she did at this time last year.
“Graduating so soon was not necessarily what I had originally planned, but to be fair, who has something like that figured out by 16?” she said. “When I realized how much progress I had already made and how well I was doing, I decided to keep going. I have always had a strong work ethic and a very organized manner, thanks to my parents.”
Douglas is currently employed full-time as a precision agriculture specialist at Southern FS, where he has worked since April 2024. His position requires him to sell and service precision agricultural technology, including planting machines, monitoring systems, guidance systems and others. His territory covers Southern Illinois as well as extending into Southeast Missouri.
“SIU was able to help me attain my goals by awarding me with my Chancellor’s Scholarship, along with having professors that are knowledgeable in agricultural fields,” he said.
Young balanced her bison marketing graduate work with holding down a job as an intern park ranger for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, where she has worked since the summer of 2022. She said she hopes to continue her career there following graduation.
“It’s a dream of mine, and I’m excited to continue contributing to the Corps’ mission,” she said. “SIU gave me the support and flexibility I needed to stay on an accelerated path. The university felt like home, which kept me motivated and focused throughout the journey.”