AgFirst interns attending HBCUs receive 2023 Launching Leaders Stipend

Five AgFirst interns were recently awarded this year’s Farm Credit Launching Leaders Stipend. Keshawn Burns, Joshua Brooks, Nabeyou Tadessa, Brandon Brown and Jeremiah Jenkins (not pictured) were each surprised with the $3,500 stipend to help offset cost-of-living expenses associated with the summer internship. 

The program, now in its fourth year, supports students and recent graduates of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) or active members of Minorities in Agriculture Natural Resources and Related Sciences interning at a Farm Credit institution. 

Through the summer internship program at AgFirst, these students are receiving first-hand career experience, fine tuning their networking skills and forming professional relationships, setting them up for success. Learn more about these students and see what some of them shared about their internship, receiving this stipend and what they’re aiming to accomplish in their careers. (Jenkins was not able to attend the presentation ceremony.)

More about this year's recipients:

• Joshua Brooks, Identity Access Management intern, and cybersecurity junior at Benedict College.
• Jeremiah Jenkins, Application Support intern, and computer science freshman at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.
• Nabeyou Tadessa, Transformation intern, and computer engineering junior at Benedict College.
• Keshawn Burns, Application Support intern, and computer science sophomore at South Carolina State University. 
• Brandon Brown, Application Support intern, and cybersecurity senior at Benedict College. 

In addition to the Launching Leaders program, AgFirst is a strong supporter of HBCUs by recruiting students at HBCU career fairs, awarding annual scholarships to students and donating to HBCU career centers to increase professional development opportunities. This year-round support cultivates a more diverse AgFirst workforce and creates more opportunities for emerging leaders like Keshawn, Joshua, Nabeyou, Brandon and Jeremiah to succeed.