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(L-R) Sorenson,
Dibble, Williams, Spicer, and Ozzello. Missing: Annis
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HOUGHTON, NY– Five Houghton College students and Dr. Rebecca
Williams, advisor and assistant professor of biology, recently attended the
Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (MANRRS)
Cluster Region I meeting in Colonial Heights, VA.
Jacob Annis ’18, Martin Dibble ’21, Ryan Ozzello ’21, Erik
Sorensen ’20, and Elliot Spicer ’20 joined student participants and advisors
from across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions – including Delaware State
University, Penn State, University of Maryland, West Virginia State University,
and more – at this networking and educational event. Workshops covered topics
such as building portfolios and professional development, and students had the
opportunity to participate in mock interviews, have professional photographs
taken for their LinkedIn profiles, attend workshops, and attend an on-site
career fair.
Both Ozzello and Dibble competed in the Elevator Speech
Competition, one of the conference’s featured events. In addition, Spicer
qualified for the National Level Lincoln Memorial Debate, slated the spring in
Kansas City, MO.
This is the third year that Houghton’s MANRRS chapter has
attended the conference, where students have connected with companies from
across the United States, including BASF, Bayer, Corteva Agriscience, Elanco
Animal Health, Land O Lakes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, and the Virginia Department of Conservation and
Recreation.
For Ozzello, this conference forged connections that will
only serve to enhance his educational and career experiences moving forward: “I
gained confidence that I can be a successful professional, and discovered that
I have talents that companies will hire for.”
This past summer, four present and past MANRRS members
completed internships at John Deere (Sorenson and Michael Cha ’18) and Land O
Lakes (Annis and John Khalaf ’18). Both Annis and Khalaf will continue as
permanent employees of Land O Lakes. Annis, who graduates this coming December,
is the current National Region I undergraduate vice president.
