On June 15, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced 20 Hispanic-Serving Institutions' and Hispanic-Serving School Districts' faculty and staff members as new E. Kika De La Garza Fellows.
According to the USDA website, beginning July 11, the E. Kika De La Garza Education, High School and Science fellows are scheduled to spend one week meeting with leaders from different USDA agencies in the surrounding Washington, D.C., area. There they can address problems on the national and regional front, including policy-making and research. After the weeklong session, the fellows will spend another week working with scientists from the Lincoln, Nebraska, USDA’s Agricultural Research Service or the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Soil Survey Center.
“These fellowships provide a unique professional development experience and exposure that benefits young people and helps advance the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of increasing equity for underserved communities across all of rural America,” Dr. Lisa Ramírez, director of USDA’s Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement said, according to the USDA's website. “After the E. Kika De La Garza fellows meet with USDA leaders, they gain insights, perspectives, knowledge and collaboration opportunities to share with students and colleagues in their home institutions and communities.”
The E. Kika De La Garza Fellowship Program links together the USDA with Hispanic-Serving Institutions with a focus on building awareness in Hispanic communities when it comes to USDA services or opportunities. The annual fellowships have been around since 1998.
The 2022 E. Kika De La Garza Education Fellows include: Yeon-Su Kim of Northern Arizona University, Breanna Watkins of the University of Arizona, Marisol Ruiz of Cal Poly Humboldt, Elizabeth Mosqueda of Madera Community College, Alice Baldridge of St. Mary's College of California, Jacob Vazquez of Butte College, Nadia Campbell of San Diego State University, Beatriz Camargo of Santa Rosa Junior College, Pamela Sedillo of the University of New Mexico, Ivelisse Irizarry Caraballo of Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, David De Sousa of Texas A&M University, Rafael Martinez of Sam Houston State University and Sandya Kesoju of Columbia Basin College.
The 2022 E. Kika De La Garza High School Education fellows include: Juanita García Avilés of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center in Chicago and Silvia Saldivar of Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD/Berta Palacios Elementary in Pharr, Texas.
The 2022 E. Kika De La Garza Science Fellows include: Alok Arun of Inter American University of Puerto Rico, Guillermo Marcillo of West Texas A&M University, Elinor Lichtenberg of the University of North Texas, Engil Pereira of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and Claire Carpenter of Yakima Valley College.
