by Karena Mahung, Consultant, Indufor North America Photos courtesy of the Land Trust Alliance
P
APA GUEYE, a senior agribusiness major, is one
conference provided them with an opportunity to participate
of 10 students selected for the newly launched,
in several educational trainings and workshops where they
Scholars for Conservation Leadership Program. The 2019 pilot program, which is a joint initiative
between the Land Trust Alliance and the USDA Forest
“One practical skill that I have come away with from this opportunity is a greater level of confidence and comfortability
Service, selected its initial cohort of undergraduates from Central
to network. I was timid at first, but the professionals at the
State University, Colorado State University, Florida A&M University
conference encouraged me to express myself.”
(FAMU), North Carolina State University, Tuskegee University and University of Massachusetts. “The Alliance is incredibly proud of this work of building
The program is a career and leadership development program. Its goal is to expand opportunities for students from underrepresented minority groups in the land conservation
platforms for young, bright students interested in conservation
fields and to strengthen career opportunities in natural resource
and natural resource management to connect with practitioners
management and conservation.
and opportunities for career development. We hope to expand
“The educational training workshops with teams of
this program in future years,” shared Wendy Jackson, executive
professional panelists provided great insight on the next steps
vice president, Land Trust Alliance.
going forward in our chosen fields and the wide range of career
The program provided an opportunity for the students to attend the National Land Conservation Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina. In addition, they attended a one-day professional development experience where they heard from leaders in the areas of conservation and natural resource management, which helped to bolster and support their career development. The
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connected with professionals from across the nation.
F LO R I DA A & M UNIV E R S ITY
paths that one might take,” said Gueye. Papa, is also an undergraduate research assistant at the FAMU Center for Viticulture and Small Fruit Research.
