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Hispanic-serving institutions


In Her Own Words: E. Kika De La Garza Fellow Finds Purpose in Motivating the Next Generation

April 16, 2024 MD Sharman, Public Affairs Specialist, USDA Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement and Acting Chancellor of Ana G. Mendez University/Associate VP of Government Affairs and Community Relations Syndia Nazario-Cardona

Since 1998, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has recognized highly accomplished staff and faculty at Hispanic-Serving Institutions and Hispanic-Serving School Districts through E. Kika De La Garza Fellowships. Participants travel to Washington, D.C. to meet with leaders at USDA agencies and...

Equity Initiatives

E. Kika De La Garza Science Fellow Finds Community in Fellowship

April 04, 2024 Carrie Knight, Public Affairs Specialist, USDA Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement

Dr. Samuel Discua is a postdoctoral researcher at University of Arizona Yuma in the Department of Entomology, where he studies the ecology and management of insect pests associated with leafy greens and melons in Arizona cropping systems. Yuma and the rest of the state lead national lettuce crop...

Equity Initiatives

E. Kika De La Garza Fellow is a Farmer of Students

February 28, 2024 Joyce El Kouarti, Communications Director, USDA Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement and Baleshka Brenes, Director of Agriculture Programs at the University of Arizona Yuma

I am the director of agriculture programs at the University of Arizona Yuma (UAZ Yuma), a regional Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) that offers tailored degree programs that meet regional workforce's needs. The student population is approximately 70% Hispanic and first generation.

Equity Initiatives

E. Kika De La Garza Fellow Expands Public Service

February 13, 2024 Carrie Knight, Public Affairs Specialist, USDA Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement

As an associate professor of beef cattle nutrition and metabolism at Texas Tech University’s Davis College, Dr. Jhones Sarturi combines his teaching and research responsibilities with public service. For over ten years, he has taught a course on cattle feeds and feeding that combines classroom...

Equity Initiatives

USDA Future Leader in Agriculture Student Sees Future in Yuma

February 06, 2024 Carrie Knight, Public Affairs Specialist, USDA Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement

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...

Equity Initiatives

E. Kika De La Garza Fellowship Breaks Down Silos

January 23, 2024 Carrie Knight, Public Affairs Specialist, USDA Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement

Dr. Kalyani Maitra is an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at California State University – Fresno, where she teaches and mentors undergraduate and graduate students. Last summer, she also became an E. Kika De La Garza (EKDLG) Science Fellow.

Equity Initiatives

Discovering Alternative Careers in Agriculture through the E. Kika de la Garza Fellowship

December 08, 2023 Marquita Bady, Public Affairs Specialist, USDA Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement

A longtime biology instructor at Yakima Valley College (YVC) in Washington state, Claire Carpenter works with YVC students throughout their undergraduate research. She has led small summer research projects and was interested in bringing more agriculture into both those projects and her classes.

Equity Initiatives Research and Science

Associate Professor Making a Better Way for Students Through E. Kika de la Garza Fellowship

October 17, 2023 Marquita Bady, Public Affairs Specialist, Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement

Dr. Engil Pereira, Associate Professor of the School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), was selected as a fellow in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) 2022 E. Kika de la Garza fellowship program. Dr. Pereira initially learned...

Equity Initiatives Research and Science

USDA Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month and Hispanic-Serving Institutions

September 19, 2023 Dr. Lisa Ramirez, Director, USDA Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement

September 15 through October 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month. USDA recognizes and celebrates the many contributions of Hispanic-Serving Institutions to the education of more than 1.3 million Hispanic students every year.

Equity Initiatives

New USDA Internship Program for Students from Migrant and Farmworker Backgrounds

July 27, 2023 Joyce El Kouarti, Communications Director, Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) launched a new internship program for students from migrant and farmworker backgrounds this summer.

Equity Initiatives
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