student

Leigh Adams grew up in Houston, Texas, where agriculture and the outdoors were a way of life for her. “When I wasn’t at school, I was in the country tending to the ranch, fishing, baling hay or hunting,” she said. “Doing these activities brought nothing but happiness.”

Even as a child, Camille Pierre was interested in agriculture. She first learned about the industry from her uncle, who worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). With that seed of interest planted, she took agriculture classes throughout high school, grew and maintained her garden, showed livestock, and cross-bred tomatoes. She eventually got her degree in agriculture from Prairie View A&M University with a concentration in plant and soil science.

Kaitlyn Hampton is ambitious and goal oriented. As she embarked on her journey as a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 1890 National Scholar, she simultaneously assumed other responsibilities, such as pursuing her master’s degree. The 1890 Scholars Program complemented her goals, allowing her to pursue her passions through internships and job placements that provided experience.

Dr. Kristal Southern can remember being certain of two things as a child. “By the age of 4, I knew I wanted to be a vet,” she said. “And by age 13, I knew I wanted to attend a historically black college or university.”

Alan Cruz is a senior at University of Arizona in Yuma studying agricultural systems management. He was recently named a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Future Leader in Agriculture and will be attending USDA’s 100th annual Agricultural Outlook Forum in Washington, D.C., held February 15-16, 2024.

Jordyn Ash, a sophomore at Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU) in Tallahassee, is a USDA 1890 National Scholar studying plant and soil sciences. Ash applied to the USDA 1890 National Scholars Program during her senior year of high school. She recalls guidance counselors providing excellent summaries of different scholarship opportunities, but she decided that the USDA 1890 National Scholars Program offered the best fit for her career aspirations.

When Lauren Hawkins graduated from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University in Tallahassee, she had a job waiting for her. Thanks to her participation in the USDA 1890 National Scholars Program, she was hired right away as an agricultural engineer with USDA Natural Resources Conservation Science (NRCS).

Kevin Poole, a recent graduate of Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU), can remember the exact moment when he first learned about the USDA 1890 National Scholars Program. It was during the spring semester of his junior year of high school. “A school administrator grabbed me at lunch and said she wanted to tell me about this opportunity,” Poole said. “It just kept getting better and better as she told me about the program.”

Arionne Patterson has come a long way since learning about the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) 1890 National Scholars Program during a presentation hosted at her high school in Fresno, California. As a result of pursing her agricultural dreams and the USDA 1890 National Scholars Program, Patterson obtained her Agriculture Business degree at Prairie View A&M University and her master’s degree at Purdue University.