A Journey Ferguson College of Agriculture names the 2019-20 Outstanding Senior of Success

The Louis and Betty Gardner Outstanding Senior award is presented to students who are engaged, involved and academically sound. This year’s Outstanding Senior in the Ferguson College of Agriculture — Mckenzie Carvalho — is no different, said Dwayne Cartmell, an agricultural communications professor and Carvalho’s academic adviser.

Carvalho, an agribusiness and agricultural communications senior, grew up in Maxwell, a small town in northern California.

She was involved in multiple activities, including FFA, softball, volleyball and cheerleading.

“In FFA, I showed swine, competed in public speaking contests and horse judging, and held chapter, section, and region offices,” Carvalho said. “At FFA events, I visited with the Ferguson College of Agriculture Ambassador team and knew those were the people I wanted to be associated with.”

Carvalho brought the leadership skills she learned from FFA to OSU where she has excelled academically for the past four years, Cartmell said.

“Mckenzie is a tremendous student,” Cartmell said. “She’s highly engaged in activities of all levels of the college, the university and our discipline in agriculture as a whole.”

Carvalho served in multiple capacities throughout her time at OSU. She was involved in Oklahoma Agricultural Leadership Encounter, Oklahoma AgCredit Student Board of Directors, Alpha Zeta Honor Society, Ferguson College of Agriculture Ambassadors, Student Alumni Board and the college’s Student Council.

She also has traveled with students and faculty from the college on four study-abroad trips.

“Few words can capture the feeling of touring Auschwitz, photographing Costa Rica’s wildlife and landscapes, jumping off a bridge in New Zealand, and climbing the Great Wall of China,” Carvalho said. “My time at OSU has been filled with meeting people and participating in many activities, which motivated me to focus on mentoring international students.

“I had such a positive start at OSU and wanted to ensure students coming here from abroad were also able to experience this,” Carvalho added.

Cartmell said he had the opportunity to lead Carvalho on a study-abroad photography trip to Costa Rica.

“Her interest in international agriculture and international involvement was apparent by the way she interacted with new people in different countries,” Cartmell said. “But above all, her interest in communications was evident.

“It was a really cool experience being able to witness that drive in a student during an international study,” he said.

Although Carvalho is an out-of-state student, she still has a passion for learning about the needs of rural Oklahoma, she said.

Traveling on study-abroad trips as well as around Oklahoma have helped her challenge herself while serving others, she added.

“Traveling the world on agricultural study-abroad trips and around the state with the Oklahoma Agricultural Leadership Encounter opened my eyes to global agriculture, the importance of diverse cultures and the needs of rural Oklahoma,” Carvalho said. “These experiences expanded my perspective on inclusiveness and set me on a career path of developing rural communities.

Rob Terry, head of the OSU Department of Agricultural Education, Communications and Leadership, met Carvalho through a study-abroad trip to the Czech Republic after her freshman year.

Mckenzie Carvalho plans to earn a master’s degree in agricultural economics at Mississippi State University.

Photo by Sierra Winters.

“Carvalho is very gregarious,” Terry said. “She met and interacted with people very well in an international setting. She always represented our department and our college in a positive way.

“Attitude makes a difference,” Terry added. “Mckenzie always has a positive attitude and is a great ambassador for our college.

“I would regard Mckenzie as having been someone who has had a positive influence on our college, her peers, the faculty, and also alumni and stakeholders,” he said.

Carvalho gathered many different experiences to enrich her time at OSU and will benefit from those when she goes out to the world, Terry said.

Along with study-abroad trips and being involved within different organizations throughout the college, Carvalho also participated in community service efforts.

“My desire to find community led to four years of campus involvement,” Carvalho said. “I not only made friends and learned from mentors through these organizations and positions, but also I gained transferable skills such as time management, conflict resolution and adaptability.

“Through my time as a Ferguson College of Agriculture Ambassador, an AG 1011 Student Academic Mentor, and China Agricultural University student mentor, I challenged myself to serve others, while working toward career and personal goals,” she added.

Carvalho also was involved in multiple research projects throughout her time at OSU.

Her interest in research in agricultural economics began the summer after her sophomore year when she had the opportunity to intern for the Noble Research Institute, she said.

“My mentor, Myriah Johnson, tailored my summer to expose me to many different research projects,” Carvalho said, “from a literature review on what would happen to the market without U.S. beef production to articles on the Pasture, Rangeland and Forage insurance program and the Farm Bill.”

After returning to OSU for her junior year, Carvalho began a research project on the factors influencing participation in supplemental nutrition assistance programs across Oklahoma counties, she said.

“My interest in researching welfare programs came from wanting to better understand the largest title in the Farm Bill,” Carvalho said. “I learned what drives SNAP participation and eligibility in rural, mixed, and urban Oklahoma counties and determined how people can better reach susceptible individuals.

“Conducting research is what influenced me to pursue my master’s with hopes of going on to get my doctorate and becoming an extension economist,” Carvalho added.

ELLIE SCHMIDGALL

Story by Ellie Schmidgall of Tazewell County Illinois