Northern Arizona University’s School of Forestry has received a federal grant of nearly $270,000 to train Hispanic students who forestry professionals say are underrepresented in the workforce. Department leaders hope it’ll create more diverse leadership in the field.
The program is called Training the Next Generation of Hispanic Leaders for Managing Resilient Forests. Nine undergraduates will be recruited using the grant funds as Hispanic Serving Institution Fellows.
Yeon-Su Kim is the executive director of NAU’s School of Forestry. "They bring different cultural perspective, they bring different lived experience that would enrich our program, I think that’s really the main point to me", Kim says.
According to Kim, the fellows will receive financial support and get exposure through internships based on their specific interests in forestry. NAU’s Flagstaff campus was recently designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education. It’s a recognition given to schools that have at least 25 percent of attending students who are of Hispanic descent.
The program aims for more inclusivity and there are similar plans underway for other minority groups at the university. The grant was awarded through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.