New Mexico State University welcomed a group of students from three universities for a three-day visit earlier this month aimed at showcasing the Las Cruces campus and preparing future agricultural leaders.
The visit was part of a federally funded program called "Leading and Enhancing Agricultural Development in the Next Generation," or LEADING.
The initiative, developed by a team of professors from NMSU, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez and Texas State University, aims to help grow the food, agriculture, natural resources and human sciences workforce and create a pathway to federal employment.
"Four professors got together from each university and came up with this idea that we needed more funding to support students directly," said Clint Löest, a professor of animal science in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at NMSU and one of four co-directors of the program.
Löest and the other professors worked to design a program that provides research, mentoring, internship and networking opportunities to undergraduate and graduate students, with the goal of preparing them for federal employment. In 2023, the team received a $20 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to fund the program for five years.
The program centers around a vast support system of innovative training, mentoring and experiential learning components, including an annual LEADING Symposium and Career Fair hosted by one of the universities. It also supports students financially, providing undergraduate scholarships, graduate assistantships and paid internships.
Löest organized this year's career fair at NMSU, in which more than 120 students traveled to Las Cruces. The visit featured tours of NMSU's main campus, two of its agricultural science centers and nearby facilities operated by the New Mexico Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The students also spent a day in Ruidoso, experiencing the high mountain landscapes of the Lincoln National Forest.
At the research symposium, students like Shaylee Strong presented a wide range of research projects. Strong, an NMSU student pursuing a master's degree in animal and range sciences, joined the program in 2024. Her research centered on trichomoniasis, a sexually transmitted disease in bulls.
Strong said participating in the program has helped shape her educational path. She said she initially thought about attending veterinarian school post-graduation, but after completing a monthlong internship at Auburn University this summer, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in fish science at Auburn.
"I really wanted to go to vet school, but unfortunately, it's a competitive thing to do," she said. "Because of the opportunities that I've had networking through the LEADING program, and doing this internship, I actually got an offer to get my Ph.D. at Auburn. So, the biggest impact this program had on me is allowing to see different career options."
Löest said interest in the program has grown over the years among NMSU students. About 120 Aggies have been admitted into the program, which runs one academic year for each participant.
"It's become very popular, and the word's out that students love the program," he said. "It helps in many ways. First, it helps students financially, and second, it helps them in terms of making connections with employers."
Adriana Ramos Rodríguez, a Ph.D. student working with sweet chile peppers at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez, said she joined the program on the advice from previous participants. During the visit to Las Cruces, Ramos Rodríguez said she was impressed with NMSU's agricultural science centers.
"I was very interested in the Agricultural Experimental Station," she said. "We saw a lot of different projects. There was a lot of variety. There was a lot of stuff with vegetables, with algae, with animals, with robotics and AI."
The program continues through May 31, 2028. NMSU students interested in applying should reach out to Löest at
The full article can be seen at https://newsroom.nmsu.edu/news/nmsu-hosts-leading-symposium-for-future-agricultural-leaders/s/d37a77ef-8314-4356-9701-2db65eeb4d3e.
