Aggie Alumna Smallwood ’18 Founds Business to Pay It Forward

While growing up in New Jersey, in a town on the outskirts of Atlantic City, Arneisha Smallwood ’18  never imagined a career in agriculture. To her, the word meant toiling in fields and barns to raise crops and livestock.

That all changed by the time she got to high school. By then, her family had resettled in Bertie County. One day, she walked in her high school guidance office and spotted a flyer with a photo of a young, professional African American woman carrying a briefcase. There was also a North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University logo and words describing business and industry; most importantly, it described an opportunity to learn about careers in agriculture on campus.

Uppermost in Smallwood’s then-teenage mind was the thought, “Here’s a chance to get out of this small town for a week.”

What she discovered was a surprise. There were wide professional career options for graduates of the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences: veterinarian, botanist, lawyer, dietitian, business management, researcher.  Even her present career and passion, communications professional, was available. She was hooked.

The next year, Smallwood was accepted into another summer program, the highly competitive Research Apprenticeship Program in the college. Both experiences convinced her A&T was the place to be. She earned a bachelor’s in agricultural education with a concentration in agribusiness in 2016 and a master’s in agricultural education – professional service in 2018.

After graduating, she put her education to use, working a couple years for Center for Environmental Farming Systems as an outreach associate. In January, she landed a job as communications associate for Share Our Strength, a Virginia offshoot of the national charity No Kid Hungry. From her office, she informs and educates communities across the state about school nutrition programs through blogs, newsletters and other publications.

Throughout her college years and into the present, Smallwood grew to understand the value of a supportive environment, hard work and networking. Kenrett Jefferson-Moore, Ph.D., chairperson of the Department of Agribusiness, Agricultural Education and Applied Economics; Antoine Alston, Ph.D., associate dean of the college; and Chastity Warren English, Ph.D., played a huge role in her career choices and guided her toward success.

“Sometimes it’s hard just finding one mentor, but to have many that I could go to if something wasn’t right? It was amazing,” Smallwood said.

Now, she said, she’s intent on giving back. Toward that goal, she founded a small T-shirt and podcast business called Agriculture is Life. Both are used as vehicles to celebrate the accomplishments of women in agriculture, particularly Black women, and bring attention to often-overlooked issues that they face. The app and T-shirt store can be found online through major social media and podcast apps.

“A lot of times, our stories are told incorrectly. I wanted to provide space for them to tell their stories their way.  I’m living proof that seeing people who look like you in the space you want to be in makes all the difference,” she said.

One key to her success has been to make herself visible to professors, Smallwood said. She offers the same advice to others.

“Do the work. Go to office hours. Join professional clubs and organizations. Go to events. You can go through a whole degree program and not be known by a professor. I’ve heard from students who say they went to the professor for a recommendation, but they didn’t have anything to say about them. It’s up to students to make sure the professors know them.”

Now, as she builds her career and maintains her ties to her alma mater, Smallwood continues to practice what she preaches.

“When I graduated, I asked Dr. English how I could repay her. She said, ‘just pay it forward,’ Smallwood said. “That’s what I feel I’m doing with Agriculture is Life.”