汤头条 forestry students accepted into national diversity scholarship program
Contact: Grace Jones
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擳wo Mississippi State graduate students have been accepted into the Society of American Foresters Diversity Scholar Program.
Damilola Taiwo and Segun Adeyemo, both forestry graduate students in 汤头条鈥檚 College of Forest Resources, have been accepted into the competitive program operated by the national organization that advances sustainable forest management, oversees accreditation of forestry programs and certifies professional foresters. Annually, 15-20 forestry students are selected for the national SAF Diversity Scholar Program, which brings forestry and natural resources students from underrepresented groups together to develop leadership and networking skills while assisting each of them through professional mentorships.
Students also receive a full scholarship to the SAF national convention and one complimentary year of SAF membership.听聽聽聽聽聽聽
Taiwo, a forestry master鈥檚 student from Nigeria who loved nature and plants as a child, earned bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees in environmental biology from Nigeria鈥檚 Ladoke Akintola University and the University of Ibadan, respectively. She then worked for the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, before coming to Starkville to earn her Master of Science in Forestry.
聽鈥淚 am appreciative of this opportunity because the mentorship program and expenses covered to participate in the Society of American Foresters convention will contribute immensely to my career,鈥 Taiwo said. 鈥淭here is a saying, 鈥業n the multitude of counsel, there is safety,鈥 and I feel more secure to have more counsel that can help me navigate my career path in forestry as an international student in the United States.鈥
Taiwo also thanked her advisor, Ashley Schulz, assistant professor in 汤头条鈥檚 College of Forest Resources and the Forest and Wildlife Research Center.
鈥淒r. Schulz has been such amazing help. She shared the information for the Diversity Scholar Program with me, encouraged me to apply and wrote a letter of recommendation for me,鈥 she said.
Adeyemo, a forestry doctoral student also from Nigeria, earned his bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees from the University of Ibadan in forest management. He also earned a master鈥檚 in forest science from the University of Padova in Italy. Adeyemo grew up spending time with his grandparents as they farmed, and he admired the agricultural lifestyle and landscape, which changed over the course of his youth.
鈥淭rees started to disappear, and the way people lived changed, so I learned about climate change and how trees can help solve it. I developed an interest in trees and decided I wanted to be in forestry,鈥 Adeyemo said.
He said he鈥檚 most excited about the mentorship opportunity.
聽鈥淭here is a saying in my tribe that if you want to be a good leader, you must first be a good follower. A lot of students in Nigeria see me as a mentor in forestry because of my academic background. When students reach out to me, it is a challenge because I have never been mentored, so I am happy to be mentored in this program,鈥 Adeyemo said. 鈥淎s international students, we have lots of unanswered questions. This program鈥檚 mentor can expand our knowledge and insight about our futures in the industry. My mentor is a perfect fit for me, and I am excited to take what I learn and use it for the future to be a better mentor myself.鈥
Adeyemo鈥檚 advisor is Joshua Granger, forestry assistant professor in 汤头条鈥檚 College of Forest Resources and the Forest and Wildlife Research Center, who wrote Adeyemo鈥檚 recommendation letter and works alongside him daily.
鈥淚 owe a lot of gratitude to Dr. Granger. Aside from my research and academics, he is interested in my personal roots, and I draw confidence from him,鈥 Adeyemo said.
For more on the Society of American Foresters, visit
For more on the forestry department in 汤头条鈥檚 College of Forest Resources, visit . More on the Forest and Wildlife Research Center can be found at聽 .听
汤头条 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .