Maureen Victoria, a visiting assistant professor within Sam Houston State University’s School of Agricultural Sciences, was chosen as a 2023 Kika De La Garza Fellow for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). She was selected for this highly competitive position based on her work supporting underserved student populations while teaching in high schools and at SHSU.
Victoria came to SHSU after completing a teaching and research assistantship at Texas A&M for her PhD. Through her assistantship, she was able to get involved in teaching senior-level courses and exploring research independently and with her students. She has also served as a high school agriculture and welding teacher.
Victoria went to Washington D.C. in mid-July and met with different branches of the USDA to discuss the staffing needs and how Hispanic Serving Institutions like SHSU can collaborate with the department to break down barriers for those students. For Victoria, this was a way to interact with like-minded peers as she has spent her career as a teacher making sure that her students can succeed.
While visiting the different departments with the other Fellows, Victoria was able to build relationships with representatives from other universities and create pathways for potential multi-state collaboration.
She explained that by hosting a learning event that exposes students to the agriculture of different states, they would be more marketable hires for the USDA, as they would already be aware of the range of agricultural commodities produced in various states.
On top of this collaborative prospect, Victoria was excited by a program through the USDA that provides the children of migrant workers with support to pursue a GED and college, as well as an internship with the department. Victoria is excited to be working with the USDA and looks forward to continuing to break down barriers for students pursuing agriculture.
