Ivana Tregenza, right, talks to LSU College of Agriculture students interested in participating in the global agriculture ambassador program. The student ambassadors will help welcome international visitors to campus. (Photo by Hannah McClain)

News Release Distributed  01/20/15

BATON ROUGE, La. – When students from Slovak University of Agriculture visit LSU in February, a new group of global agriculture ambassadors from the LSU College of Agriculture will welcome them to campus.

Students interested in becoming global agriculture ambassadors participated in an informational meeting on Jan. 15 to learn more about this opportunity.

The role of the ambassadors will be to assist visiting international scholars, spread information about international opportunities within the College of Agriculture and participate in events pertaining to global agriculture.

“You will be working for a global market, so we want to provide cultural exposure and experience before you graduate,” Ivana Tregenza, coordinator with the LSU AgCenter International Programs office, told the students.

The AgCenter is developing a partnership with Slovak University of Agriculture. Administrators and faculty from the AgCenter visited SUA in July, and their administrators and faculty visited the AgCenter in October. In February, students from SUA will come to campus, and LSU College of Agriculture students are scheduled to visit SUA as part of a study abroad program in June.

For the February visit, SUA and the College of Agriculture student ambassadors will participate in a panel discussion to compare and contrast the two universities’ educational systems.

The ambassador group will also assist with exchange students studying agriculture, such as 12 students from Zamorano Pan-American Agricultural School in Honduras who are spending the spring semester at LSU.

Sakeenah Ashiru, a sophomore in apparel design, attended the meeting because she said she is interested in all things international.

“My passion is learning languages and traveling abroad,” Ashiru said.

Chelsea Sutherland, a junior in agricultural extension education, has visited with and helped exchange students in the past. “I want to offer support and comfort in their time of transition,” she said.

Student ambassadors can participate as “buddies” to international visitors, be part of the project group that helps plan and host events, or have a role in the communications group, which will include taking photographs and spreading the word about global agriculture events on campus.