USDA Announces The 2008 Class Of The Public Service Leaders Scholarship Program

WASHINGTON, July 2008 – The Agriculture Department today announced the 2008 class of the Public Service Leaders Scholarship Program (PSLSP). This year’s class of eight students consists of men and women pursuing degrees in areas critical to USDA agencies and who have demonstrated interest in the public sector. The recipients are meeting here this week to receive orientation and leadership training.

The PSLSP selects students based on academic achievement, interest in public service, and leadership potential and provides them with a scholarship and an internship that allows the students to complete their education and pursue a career in public service. The scholarship consists of full tuition, books, the use of a laptop computer, student employment with USDA, mentoring, and leadership training. Upon graduation, the scholars work as permanent employees at USDA for one year for each year of financial assistance they receive.

The PSLSP, administered by USDA’s Hispanic-Serving Institutions National Program, gives USDA agencies the availability of a well-trained and diverse workforce. Since the program started in 2002, 32 scholars have graduated and are working for USDA. Seventeen students are now working on their degrees through the program, including those selected this year. This year’s USDA sponsoring agencies are the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Economic Research Service, Farm Service Agency, Forest Service, Foreign Agricultural Service and National Agricultural Statistics Service.

For additional information on USDA’s Public Service Leaders Scholarship Program, visit http://www.hsi.usda.gov .

The 2008 USDA Public Service Leaders Scholars by sponsoring agency are:

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

* Magdalena Vree, Bachelor’s degree candidate in Agriculture, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona, CA

Forest Service

* Daniel Delgado, Bachelor’s degree candidate in Agriculture, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona, CA
* Zulamet Vega, Master’s degree candidate in Civil Engineering, University of Puerto Rico – Mayagüez, PR

Economic Research Service

* Cristina Miller, Ph.D. degree candidate in Economics, University of Illinois – Chicago, IL
* Robert Needham, Ph.D. degree candidate in Agricultural Economics, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University -

National Agricultural Statistics Service

* Bianca Garza, Bachelor’s degree candidate in Agricultural Business, Washington State University -

Farm Service Agency

* Katherine Lynde, Bachelor’s degree candidate in Agricultural Business, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX

Foreign Agricultural Service

* Juliana Madrid, Master’s degree candidate in International Relations, Georgetown University, Washington, DC