From Learning to Leading: Cultivating the Next Generation of Diverse Food and Agriculture Professionals
The NextGen program aims to support and encourage the development of the next generation of agriculture professionals in West Virginia by providing scholarships to students pursuing a career with the USDA.
Through partnerships between West Virginia State University (WVSU), the West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA), and the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE), the NextGen program focuses on fostering the growth of the future workforce in food, agriculture, natural resources, and human sciences (FANH).
Goals
The program has three primary goals:
- To develop and release a comprehensive WV Agriculture Education Completer curriculum for WV Agriculture Education Teachers.
- To offer scholarships to students enrolling in FAHN majors at West Virginia State University.
- To provide immersive FAHN internships throughout students’ post-secondary education, giving them practical experience in their chosen field of study.
Benefits
- NextGen Scholar Benefits
- Paid Tuition for a Four-Year Degree
- Paid Room and Board for On-Campus Students
- Paid Course Fees and Books
- 1,500 Hours of Paid Internship With WVDA Agencies
- Paid Meal Plan for Commuter Students
Careers
These are potential careers with the USDA:
- Animal Care Inspector
- Dairy Products Marketing Specialist
- Digital Service Provider
- Food and Nutrition Program Analyst
- Forest Service Biological Scientist
- Plant Field Inspector Animal And Plant Health
- Rangeland Management Specialist
- Research Mathematical Statistician
- Soil Scientist
- Veterinary Medicine
- Wildlife Biologist Animal and Plant Health
- Wildlife Management Field Station Leader
Requirements
- Be either a U.S. citizen or a legal resident of the U.S. Received Agriculture Completer status, endorsed by WVDE and WVDA.
- Have been accepted into an academic major that can lead to future USDA employment.
- Plan to graduate within four years.
- Intend to pursue a career in food, agriculture, natural resources and human sciences (FANH).
- Have a minimum secondary cumulative GPA of 2.5 at the time of the application and maintain a cumulative post-secondary GPA of 2.5 each semester.
- Be enrolled as a full-time student at West Virginia State University.
Application
You can download the application here or contact Connie Dewhurst-Adkins for more information.
This work is supported through a cooperative agreement between the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and the Extension Foundation, which is providing technical assistance for “From Learning to Leading: Cultivating the Next Generation of Diverse Food and Agriculture Professionals (NEXTGEN).”
FUNDING PROVIDED BY USDA NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
