Senior agricultural education major Xanaa Myers
Representation in agriculture matters — not just for stakeholders and farmers, but for those who teach as well. That’s the understanding that brought Xanaa Myers to N.C. A&T and led her to major in agricultural education, and now, she is the recipient of two prestigious teaching awards.
The senior from Pageland, S.C. has been named a student ambassador in the National Association of Agricultural Educators’ (NAAE) recruitment program – a lofty achievement, even for a student who is already an N.C. Teaching Fellow.
“It feels great to represent not only myself, but my college, my major and my university,” said Myers. “As a #TeachAg Ambassador, I feel that I can promote, teach and support agriculture for everybody, especially in North Carolina. This is for everybody.”
NAAE’s National #TeachAg Ambassador Program is for current student members who are passionate about agricultural education and want to share their story. Ambassadors serve a term from October 1 until September 30 each year, using their time to attend the National FFA’s annual convention, participate in virtual seminars and communicate custom lessons and training with a variety of audiences to recruit future agriculture teachers at the local, university and state level.
“[Ambassadors] are really just the face of agricultural education for the year,” said Myers. "We can push agricultural education to students to come and (major in), because it's not it's not a degree or a career that most people know about."
Myers said that applying to become an ambassador was nerve-wracking, and so was becoming one.
“Nervous, but excited, more on the nervous side,” she said of her honor. “They haven’t had many people of color as #TeachAg Ambassadors, and I was on the fence about applying. But I thought it was important to put my best foot forward.”
The desire to feel represented in the agricultural education field is what drove Myers to her major in the first place.
“Pageland is very rural and very country,” said Myers. “In high school, I received every [award] there was in FFA, including the American FFA Degree, which was the highest award on the national level. I was also the first Black FFA president at my high school. (Those experiences) pushed me into agricultural education, because we need more Black women in the field who know all the works around agriculture.”
Now a senior in the college’s agricultural education program, Myers has found guidance and support in mentors Antoine Alston, Ph.D., associate dean of academics, and professor and program coordinator Chastity English, Ph.D.
“They’ve helped us as students become better people in agriculture,” said Myers. “They have a background in FFA and it’s not likely that you’ll meet Black people in this profession who’ve done FFA, so I love that they’ve given their knowledge to us. Now, I can apply everything they’ve taught me into the classroom that I’ll have next year.”
Myers’ advisor English congratulated the new ambassador.
“The very first day I met her at orientation, (Xanaa) confidently shared her goal of becoming an agricultural educator—and she has taken every step since transferring into the agricultural education program to make that dream a reality,” English said. “Her acceptance into this prestigious NAAE program is not only a testament to her dedication and hard work, but also reflects national efforts to create inclusive opportunities that help others recognize the vital role agriculture plays in our economy.”
Myers also received the national organization’s Student Teacher Scholarship in late July, which awards $1,500 to any agricultural education major completing their student teaching during the current academic year.
“I think it's amazing because there are only a few Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the country that have an agricultural education program,” she said. “It feels good to be represented and it's important that there are scholarships out there for people who would like to add agricultural education as a major.”
Cameron Earlywine, NAAE program manager of professional development and teacher recruitment and retention, said Myers’ impact in #TeachAg would leave “an everlasting impact on those she will meet” within the program.
“Her selection in both of these programs — #TeachAg and the Student Teacher Scholarship — came from her drive, passion, and experiences in agricultural education,” he said. “Both of these NAAE student member opportunities are extremely high honors. For Xanaa to have been selected for both, is an extreme accomplishment and both she, and N.C. A&T State University, should be proud of that accomplishment.”
