April 13, 2021
Diversity Programs Office Update
In celebration of “Diversity in the Workplace” Month and “Arab-American Heritage” Month, this April we have had the privilege to present and attend various diversity programs. The first VIRTUAL National MANRRS 2021 Career Fair and Training Conference was held on April 6-9 to celebrate 35 years of promoting diversity in agriculture. The conference theme was “MANRRS: Reclaiming our time, Territory, and Triumph.” With excitement, the K-State MANRRS chapter attended all sessions which included student competitions, three Diversity Summits, Workshops, Breakout Rooms, nationally known Keynote Speakers, a Career Fair, Junior MANRRS, and the Final Symposiums. Our chapter members excelled as we brought home three national competition awards which included:
1. Brandon Green, Animal Sciences & Industry (ASI) – 1st place Undergraduate Oral Research Competition
2. Selena Gilyot, ASI Pre-Vet option – 2nd place Elevator Speech
3. Jenika Hazelbaker, Agronomy – 1st place Interview Competition
Congratulations to our competition winners. We are proud of YOU! A special congratulations to our 2021 Farm Credit Scholars who are McKenzie Stevens- ASI Pre-Vet Option; Jenika Hazelbaker- Agronomy; and Shymel Townes- Agricultural Economics. These three students had the opportunity to partake in a leadership session prior to the 2021 National MANRRS Conference and received a $1000 scholarship. We congratulate the K-State MANRRS Chapter on completing the 35th National MANRRS Career Fair and Training Conference despite the remote status.
To continue our collaborative efforts, the College of Ag’s Diversity Programs Office, K-State MANRRS, and the College of Agriculture Ambassadors have hosted two “College for a Day” events. On April 7, the DPO, Admissions and Recruitment, and the Department of Diversity and Multicultural Student Affairs (DMSA), hosted 25 students from Dodge City (KS) High School for an in-person College for a Day event. The event’s venue was the K-State Student Union. Our second CFAS event was held on April 12, from 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. with the first-ever virtual event. We hosted four virtual sessions with Junction City (KS) Middle School 7th grade science classes, consisting of over 300 students total. The event was well-received, and we were excited to share the day with them. This upcoming month we are celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage, Jewish American Heritage, and Mental Health Month. We hope all can participate in activities sponsored by the student group, Asian American Student Union (AASU), https://www.k-state.edu/aasu/AsianAmericaStudentUnion/Welcome.html.
We also like to highlight our upcoming spring 2021 graduates:
• Cheyenne Lozano, 2018-2019 Project IMPACT MAPS Scholar
• Halle Tophoj, 2017-2018 Project IMPACT MAPS Scholar
• Jaden Castinado, Project IMPACT KOMPASS Scholar
• Antonia Santos, 2017-2018 Project IMPACT MAPS Scholar
• Aaron Davis, 2017-2018 Project IMPACT MAPS Scholar
We look forward to seeing their continued success. Congratulations to our 2021 graduates!
It is also worthy to note that we successfully completed our 17th class of KSRE Navigating Difference training. Congratulations to class 17! Please continue to watch for more diverse news and events as we get ready to end the 2021 spring semester. We appreciate YOUR support. For more information about upcoming events, please contact Dr. Zelia Z. Wiley, Assistant Dean and Director of Diversity Programs, at 785-523-5793 or zwiley@ksu.edu.