Many high school students spend their summers dreaming of being in college and out on their own. A few of those students are getting a taste of college life this summer at MSU.
The students are members of the Minority Apprenticeship Program, a six-week program run by the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The program gives minority high school students the opportunity to work in lab and field settings with faculty from the college.
“MAP’s main function is to get kids who want to work in agriculture and natural resource-related fields experience in those types of positions,” said Rudy Hernandez, the specialist-adviser in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Hernandez said the college accepted about 70 applications for the program, but only 20 applicants were chosen to participate.
“This is the only place in the state to do this type of research,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez also said one of the other functions of the program is to expose the students to undergraduate life. Each student receives $75 each week for his or her work with the faculty, in addition to the room and board provided.
Melvin Yokoyama, an animal science professor, said he has participated in the program since its inception because he enjoys working with the students.
“We get them to participate in the actual research,” Yokoyama said. “We give them experience in the lab, and a little experience in collecting samples from livestock.”
Yokoyama said he thinks the program is very important because it gives the students experience, as well as the opportunity to be at the university.
“We have had quite a few members who have gone on to attend MSU,” Yokoyama said. “Some of them have even gone into food science.”
Brandon Mack, a senior from Chicago High School of Agricultural Sciences, has been working with Dechun Wang, an assistant professor in crop and soil sciences.
Mack said he has been working with the DNA of soybeans, but he’s also been working on another project - getting used to living with roommates.
“I thought I needed the experience. I just wanted to see if I could handle college life,” Mack said.
Wang said the experience lets students make decisions for themselves.
“It gives them a chance to decide if they want work in field or lab, and to decide what they want to major in,” Wang said. “Everything we have asked them to do they’ve done well in.”
James Oehmke, an associate professor in agricultural economics, has been working with Rachel Edwards, a senior from Novi High School in Novi, and said the program has been going well.
“We were looking for a student with an interest in agricultural economics, and Rachel seemed to fit those qualifications,” Oehmke said. “We’ll continue to participate in the program as long as we get more students like Rachel.”
