As N.C. A&T’s graduating seniors prepared to embark on their next journey, leaders in the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences reminded them they have responsibilities to those who follow them.
“I was taught a long time ago as a student … that I had to be a ladder for somebody else,” Andrea Gentry-Apple, DVM, coordinator of veterinary education and clinical associate veterinarian, told the crowd of about 150 at the CAES Student Awards ceremony on April 17.
“Passing the torch allows you to be that ladder and to reach back, to showcase the fact that you are moving forward to become the next leaders and the next innovators, and it is their job to push forward as well,” Gentry-Apple said before introducing graduating student speakers from each of the college’s four departments.
Elijah Edwards, a senior studying agricultural business, said that James 2:17 from the New Testament guided him throughout his time at A&T. “It states faith without works is dead,” Edwards said. “It reminded me that the belief alone isn't enough. I had to show up, put in the work and trust the process — even when things were uncertain. And because of that, I stand here today.”
Karla Branch, a senior studying animal science and laboratory animal science, said she didn’t get “all the warm and fuzzy feelings” she expected when she arrived at N.C. A&T — despite joining clubs and serving in the student Senate. Eventually, however, she found a comfortable place in Webb Hall.
“I knew that was home due to the people that were in it, … how I was learning within it, and the peers that supported me along the way,” Branch said. “Throughout it all, even in my darkest hour, Webb Hall was my safe haven.”
Christopher Carter, a senior studying food science and an undergraduate research scholar, recalled the highlights of his college experiences. “Each moment built upon the last, shaping both the scholar and person I've become,” said Carter, who also became an advocate for mental health after a close friend committed suicide in his sophomore year.
“We must remain tenacious. Be unapologetically yourself. Your voice, your experiences and your perspective matter more than ever now. Keep pushing, stay focused and remember you belong, not only at A&T, but in the world,” he said.
Miles Lee, a senior studying sustainable land and food systems, said he originally wanted to study finance at Howard University. But “I felt like, in doing that, I was going to abandon a part of myself just to go make some money.
“But coming to A&T has helped me understand … what is needed at this time,” he said, noting that as a student he has been able to travel “coast to coast and across continents.”
“I’ve been able to see the culture and tradition that rests behind food beyond just the commercialization of agriculture,” he said. “I think it’s important that we take time to pause and reflect, to know what's really driving our choices. … I realize success is only best when it is shared.”
The event also recognized 69 students in the University Honors Program, five Gamma Sigma Delta members who received the Undergraduate Award of Merit, six members of the college’s Undergraduate Research Scholars Program, as well as scholarship recipients.
“You represent the best of Aggieland,” said Antoine Alston, Ph.D., associate dean of the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences. “You represent what we're here for.”
