Three ALEC students participated in Model USDA, an immersive program that provides students with problem-based learning experiences in law and public policy. The program was hosted by Arizona State University’s Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems on the ASU campus in Tempe from January 30th to February 1st.
The 191 participating students, representing 31 universities across the U.S., had the opportunity to assume the roles of USDA administrators, staff, and stakeholders in scenarios based on real-world challenges facing agriculture, food, and natural resources. Over the three-day program, each scenario group was tasked with addressing an issue by developing policy through collaboration. Additionally, each student delivered an open-forum speech on their issue, participated in a panel discussion with former U.S. Secretaries of Agriculture Dan Glickman and Ann Veneman, and engaged with policy experts across the agriculture, food, and natural resources industries.
The ALEC students who attended Model USDA are (left to right in the featured picture):
- McKenzie Mason – ALEC graduate student – McKenzie participated in the Rural Development scenario as the USDA Rural Development Under Secretary.
- McKenzie was recognized as one of the “Standout Students” of the event. Only 18 students (three from each scenario group) were selected by their peers to be recognized for their hard work and leadership at Model USDA.
- Kendall Beard – ALEC junior- Kendall participated in the School Nutrition scenario as the Senior Vice President of Public Policy and Government Relations for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
- Haley Schmalle – ALEC sophomore- Haley participated in the Rural Development scenario as the Policy Director for the Center for Rural Affairs
This opportunity for our students to participate in this program was provided by the NextGen program, a USDA NIFA grant-funded project led by Tennessee State University. Dr. Tyler Granberry, who attended with the students, leads a UTIA subaward on this project, which covered all travel expenses for the participating students.
