Students, Instructor Network at National Conference
Two Huntley College of Agriculture students and an instructor traveled to a national conference in San Diego to network with industry leaders.
Students Gabriela Ramirez Luis and Andrea Garcia and apparel merchandising and management lecturer Ron Heimler attended the Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities’ 31st Annual Conference on Oct. 28 to 30.
Nearly 2,200 participants attended the conference, which is intended to create graduate education opportunities for Hispanic students, deliberate policy issues affecting educational opportunities, discuss emerging higher education trends, and showcase exemplary programs and initiatives of HACU-member institutions.
More than 500 students participated in the “Student Track,” a three-day career development and networking symposium to build their career skills.
Garcia, a third-year agricultural science student from Littlerock who wants to become
“Not only did I come back with great information and new contacts, but I also was able to get into that mindset of meeting new people and putting myself out there,” she said.
A fourth-year apparel merchandising and management student from Vista who wants to build a supply chain management career, Luis attended workshops on master’s degree programs, communications
The conference encouraged Luis to take ownership of her education.
“We take classes and are required to meet academic goals. However, opportunities that are not required – like the HACU conference – give us the opportunity to go beyond the classroom,” she said. “It is up to us to take the skills we have learned and begin to apply them and think critically about larger social issues.”
For Heimler, the conference provided him a chance to meet with leaders from HACU and USDA to network and find out about new funding and internship opportunities.
“Overall, it was a valuable and interesting experience that may lead to some future funding opportunities to provide new resources to support student success,” he said.