By Victoria Brito Morales

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – AUG. 6, 2024 – A select group of high school students from the Valley and across the country got to live on a UTRGV campus this summer, where they studied agriculture and Valley ecology with UTRGV professors and USDA experts. 

The Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems (SAFS) B.S. Program, spearheaded by UTRGV’s School of Earth, Environmental and Marine Sciences (SEEMS), highlighted how important agriculture is to the area during its second annual AgDiscovery Summer Youth Program. 

AgDiscovery, funded by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) under the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), is a free summer outreach program started in 2022 to help teenagers explore careers in agricultural sciences and study with plant and animal scientists, biotechnologists, veterinarians, wildlife biologists, and administrative professionals. 

The camp, which ran from June 22 to July 3, is highly competitive, as only 12 high school students are selected from applicants across the country. 

To be selected, potential campers needed to submit a two-page essay on why they want to attend the camp, as well as three letters of recommendation. 

UTRGV was one of 22 higher education institutions nationally to host this camp and the only one from the UT System. 

Students stayed in Unity Hall on the Edinburg Campus to complete their college life experience and had the opportunity to tour both the Brownsville and Edinburg campuses to see what UTRGV is doing in the world of agriculture. 

Dr. Christopher Gabler, associate professor in SEEMS, said the summer program is a great opportunity for high school students to explore careers in food and agriculture and natural resources work in the Valley. 

“A lot of things will touch on food, and we have a strong emphasis on sustainability – which is a principle that can be applied to virtually every industry out there,” Gabler said. “So, even if a student is interested in sustainability as a career without a specific discipline or industry sector, they might be interested in channeling what they learn about sustainability here and apply that pretty much anywhere in a future career, as well.” 

Gabler said the jam-packed, 12-day AgDiscovery camp was focused on the operations and functions of food systems, sustainable agriculture, and natural resources. 

“All these different organizations are related to the actual production side of things,” Gabler said. “As part of the camp, the group of students toured various agriculture-related locations in the Valley, such as organic farms, ecological restoration sites, as well the Edinburg and Brownsville campuses and our Coastal Studies lab on South Padre Island.” 

Locations visited included La Sal Del Rey National Wildlife Refuge, Wonderful Citrus, Nicho Produce, an NRCS Field Office, APHIS PPQ Los Indios, and Moore Airfield. 

The camp, which helps highlight the SAFS major at UTRGV, including the Master of Science in Agriculture, Environmental and Sustainability Sciences, is organized each year by Gabler, along with Dr. Robin Choudhury, assistant professor of SEEMS; Dr. Tülay Aygan Atesin, associate professor in SEEMS; and Bryan Hoke, SEEMS Lab supervisor. 

NEAR AND FAR: THE AGDISCOVERY CAMPERS 

The 12 AgDiscovery campers, a mix of students from around the Valley and across the country, assembled in the Valley for the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of agriculture. 

Yuna Hahm from Novi, Michigan, chose the camp at UTRGV due to the diversity of plant species in South Texas. 

“I was looking at all the AgDiscovery camp summaries, and I chose this one because I really liked all the activities we were going to do. I liked that this area has a lot of diverse plants and species,” Hahm said. “The entire week we visited all these diverse habitats, and we visited South Padre Island, which was a great experience.” 

Valeria De Los Santos, from Pharr, said she wanted to expand her knowledge of agriculture. 

“The reason I chose this camp is because I wanted to expose myself to more agricultural opportunities,” De los Santos said. “I have some background in the animal side of agriculture, so I didn’t really have any idea about the plant side. It’s been a helpful and educational journey.” 

Marcos Cano, from Mission, said attending the camp had been on his mind for quite some time. 

“I chose this camp because a teacher had told me about it last year and, sadly, I couldn’t do it because of work,” he said. “But this year I said, ‘No matter what, I’m coming to this.’ I applied and thankfully I got in. It has been an amazing experience.” 

Diego Calderon, from Weslaco, has experience raising livestock and wanted to expand his knowledge of plants. 

“I chose this camp after I saw it on Facebook,” Calderon said. “I have a little bit of an agriculture background; I have been raising livestock for a little over six years now. I wanted to discover more about agriculture, like aquatic systems and how many things go into water production. I am so thankful for coming and I recommend everyone discover how much more there is to agriculture.” 

Jordan Kwong, a student from Saratoga, California, has always had an interest in plants and wanted to experience South Texas. 

“I chose this camp to try new things,” Kwong said. “I’ve always been interested in plants, so this camp has really exposed me to the different career plants in this field. It has been great.” 

For more information on the SAFS B.S. program, visit www.utrgv.edu/agroecology/.