Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences FFA members participate in the first Urban Agriculture and Life Sciences Institute (UALSI) program at the University of Georgia.
The University of Georgia is changing the lives of urban teens by transforming their understanding of urban agricultural practices, community leadership and research.
An Interactive Program
In 2023, seven students were selected from the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences to participate in the first Urban Agriculture and Life Sciences Institute (UALSI) program at the University of Georgia. Dr. James Anderson II, a professional in agricultural leadership, education and communications, originally started the program for agriculture educators and decided to change the curriculum to fit high school students.
In the program’s first year, participants learned about the characteristics of leaders, performed civic engagement, researched solutions to worldly problems and engaged in different workshops for personal development. Furthermore, during the second year, students had different internship placements based on their interests. These included community education, animal sciences, environmental sciences and education and leadership education.
UALSI participants, from left to right: Kaden Ambers, Quintin Walker, Lailah Smith, Colin King, Kaleb Knox, Destiny Perez and Fiona McCarthy.
On-Campus Experience
During this program, students received the opportunity to reside at Myers Hall and eat their meals at Bolton Dining Commons to grasp college life fully. The second-year attendees were also required to explore the campus more deeply. For their internships, they had to utilize the university’s public transportation and were in charge of getting to their work sites on time.
The UALSI program has effectively prepared students for being a day-to-day university student. For example, they had to sit in an actual class and talk with college business students, interact with different workshops surrounding leadership and work with industry professionals in agriculture.
Lasting Impacts
After the program concluded, students took their projects home and were allowed to present their research at various career development events such as the agriscience fair and the FFA section fair. Their presentations serve as valuable tools for promoting agricultural literacy among the public, demonstrating exceptional leadership within their community, and highlighting their impressive research abilities.
