Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences— a Tarleton chapter

BY BRENNA DEMPSEY

Executive Producer

Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) is a chapter that has come to Tarleton State University in the last few semesters and is setting out to make an impact on the lives of Texans.

MANRRS is designed to equip students with academic and professional connections that will build toward careers and futures for underrepresented students in these growing fields.

Andrea Balderas, MANRRS secretary, was inspired to be a part of this student chapter because she wants to share the community and lifestyle associated with agriculture with students who might not receive the same level of representation.

“Whenever we first got here, it was primarily about getting the word out about underrepresented people in agriculture, so something I really wanted to be a part of was pushing that name out there, MANRRS, and what we stand for, which is getting all people from all types of places to learn about agriculture, and I just wanted to be a little bit of a push into that,” Balderas said.

Having a place to learn more about agriculture, natural resources and related sciences is the backbone of this chapter. Gabriel Fernandez, vice president and parliamentarian, encourages people who have limited knowledge of the subject to join.

“Even for people that don't have that much experience with agriculture, this is probably one of the best ways to get your foot in the door and get a little experience, because we offer more than just tours. We can also get you involved in other things, too,” Fernandez said.

Through MANRRS, Fernandez is able to attend conferences and take part in research that can be applied directly to his professional growth.

“This is how I got involved with research with our advisor, Dr. Rafael Martinez. He got me an opportunity to do research in South Texas for the very first time, and that was a brand-new experience of a lifetime,” Fernandez said.

Networking is one of the biggest ways to grow professionally and is something MANRRS is focused on by helping members create connections and relationships with other people in the industry.

“I've definitely made connections with people that I don't think I would have had I not had a hand in MANRRS,” Balderas said. “A few of them being people in dairy science like Dr. Perez, equine science like Dr. Martinez and a handful of other people I didn't expect, like wildlife, which is not my forte but it was pretty cool to be able to get connected to people outside of my range and comfort zone.”

Connection and community go hand in hand, and members say everyone is welcome with MANRRS.

“MANRRS isn't just for one type of person, it's for everybody; it's a community-based organization. Our whole goal is to get people together and to get people talking about what agriculture is,” Balderas said.

It can be a nice relief from an environment that isn’t always welcoming. MANRRS is a chapter that offers inclusion, growth and opportunity.

“I didn't know about MANRRS because it was relatively new, and she [Denisse Villalobos, founding member and previous president] said it was minorities in agriculture, and I was like, ‘Minorities? That's me,’” Fernandez said. “I started getting into it, I went to a few meetings, and it was like ‘Oh, this seems like it suits me, it feels like I'm welcome here,’ and that's a very rare thing with me because I never felt welcome anywhere, and it’s been one of the few places that actually welcomed me here.”