New Mexico State University Regents professor Cynthia Bejarano was among 32 faculty and staff that the United States Department of Agriculture welcomed to Washington, D. C. earlier this month in the 2024 class of E. Kika De la Garza Fellows. The group was selected from Hispanic Serving Institutions and Hispanic Serving School Districts across the country.

"The USDA offers numerous opportunities for NMSU students, particularly in the form of internships and potential employment after graduation. There also are an array of federal resources available to help rural communities in New Mexico," said Bejarano, who is also the principal investigator of NMSU's College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP). "I am enthusiastic about community partnership opportunities that are now in the works with the USDA, thanks to this week-long fellowship. I'm humbled and grateful for the opportunity, and the information that I am bringing back to NMSU and southern New Mexico."

Bejarano has identified several opportunities that would serve as a perfect fit for CAMP students along with funding streams through USDA and USDA Pathways, the National Science Foundation, and the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics. These collective possibilities hold great promise for NMSU students and faculty.

This effort is part of the USDA's commitment to advance equity in professional development opportunities and build a more diverse pathway into public service and the agricultural sector. Fellows spent one week meeting with leaders from different USDA agencies in the Washington, D.C. headquarters and learning more about national and regional issues, policy making and research.

"This year's class of fellows is the largest so far and a testament of the program's success," said Lisa R. Ramírez, Director of USDA's Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement.

Since the E. Kika De La Garza Fellows Program was established in 1998, the USDA has hosted more than 400 faculty and staff in a key effort to strengthen relationships with Hispanic-Serving Institutions.

"I will be working with the USDA's Office of Partnership and Public Engagement, local USDA community liaisons, the College of Arts and Sciences' dean's office as their current community engagement fellow, and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences to partner with the Rural Partnership Network, and others. I am excited at the prospect to continue serving rural communities through these existing partnerships by building long-term relationships based on trust and mutual respect."

The full article can be seen at https://newsroom.nmsu.edu/news/nmsu-regents-professor-chosen-for-prestigious-usda-fellowship/s/72c90a75-35cc-4fbf-97ed-be5fcb523bb6