Source: NCSU COLLEGE OF AG & LIFE SCIENCES, 8/24/21



College is more than large lecture halls and midterms. It’s also about gaining lifelong professional skills and finding a community of friends. For NC State University students Constance Smith and Catherine Fremaux, they found their community, and more, through NC State’s chapter of Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS).

MANRRS is a national society that promotes academic and professional advancement by empowering students who are interested in promoting diversity and inclusion in agriculture and other science-related careers. The NC State chapter is led by Dr. Latisha Judd, a lecturer in NC State’s Department of Animal Science. Judd has been a member of MANRRS since joining the organization in 2016 while doing her doctoral program at the University of Maryland.

“Initially I went to join as a graduate student member, but it just so happened that they needed some assistance with student development. I ended up co-advising the organization,” says Judd, who is passionate about MANRRS.

In August 2020, the Holly Springs, North Carolina, native accepted a teaching position at NC State.

And one of the first things Judd wanted to do when she joined NC State was connect with the NC State Chapter of MANRRS, but the organization had fizzled out after many former members graduated or left because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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