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United States veterans have endured extreme hardships to protect our country and its values, often by putting their lives on the line. But when their service is complete, many find reentering civilian life to be challenging.

Allison Malone grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. When she left her childhood home to attend the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, a historically Black university, her goal was to pursue a career in agricultural engineering. Through perseverance and with financial support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) / 1890 National Scholars Program, Allison became the first student to complete the School of Agricultural Engineering program, receiving her Bachelor of Science degree in Spring of 2022.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is proud to support successful partnerships that pave the way for meaningful outreach and access to services for underserved communities. In Hawaii, USDA is helping multiple partners come together to provide language-appropriate outreach to Thai, Lao, Ilocano, Chinese, and other immigrant farmers. Funding is made through USDA’s Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers Program, also known as the 2501 Program.

Veteran Tray Middlebrooks grew up in Merritt Island, Florida, and Manassas, Virginia. After college, he wanted to follow a reliable and purposeful path forward. He went on to serve 10 years of active duty as an Air Force medic stationed in Nevada and Florida followed by three years in the Florida reserves.

Veteran John Langdon served for 20 years of active duty in the U.S. Army, including deployments in Afghanistan, Iraq, the Maldives and Sri Lanka. He retired in July 2021, with a full career of service under his belt, but without a full appreciation of how challenging it would be to find a civilian job. “I was finally out of the military, so then I was kind of scrambling – very stressful ... I sent out resumes everywhere,” he said.

Roland Begaye, 28, believes in family, friends, colleagues, and the power of powwow dancing. As a member of the Navajo Nation, in Arizona, he has had many opportunities to watch and participate as a skilled powwow dancer himself.

Twentysomething Native American Angellisa Hoffman was born and raised in the White Mountain Apache tribe in Arizona. Her long-term goal is to have a job related to environmental or natural resources. For that vision to become a reality, she sees a university degree as a necessary part of her career path.

July 2022 was the third hottest July the country has ever seen, and for staff and faculty from Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) and Hispanic-Serving School Districts, the sweltering temperatures they were experiencing in Washington, D.C. were no exception. This was not summer vacation. The 20 E. Kika De La Garza fellows were at U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) headquarters to meet with senior leaders from all of USDA’s mission areas.

Who are the students pursuing careers in ag? We spoke to college students from minority-serving institutions who recently met (virtually) with USDA officials and partner organizations through the Future Leaders in Agriculture Program. They shared their insights on the event, their studies, and their future careers.