Partners in Agriculture Leadership (PAL)

Reedley College is pleased to offer the USDA-HSI grant-funded Partners in Agricultural Leadership (PAL) program which is a competitive agricultural leadership and education program for high school agricultural students for the 2009-2011 school years. The inaugural PAL program is a collaborative effort of Reedley College with CSU Fresno, Cal Poly-SLO, UC Davis, USDA-ARS (Parlier), UC-Kearney Research & Extension Center, and the agricultural industry to provide a hands-on learning opportunity for the betterment of future agriculture-focused university graduates.

The two-year program is designed for local high school juniors from Fresno, Kings, Madera and Tulare Counties with the goal of educating them in a seminar setting about the different agricultural career pathways, while developing their potential for being future advocates for agriculture. The thirty-nine PAL-Class I members are representative of fourteen different high schools and are required to participate in series of twelve seminars which incorporate leadership training, issue awareness, agricultural career discovery, laboratory workshops, college campus tours, expert panels, discussions and assignments. An agricultural advocacy project is also required of each of the participants; and agriculture related internships and job shadowing are encouraged. Reedley College students act as mentors to the PAL participants.

As part of the USDA-HSI grant funding, a single $50,000 scholarship is provided one participant who successfully completes the program and satisfies the scholarship requirements which include enrollment into an agricultural program at Reedley College and then transfer to one of the PAL partnering universities. Efforts are underway to seek scholarship funds from PAL partners and industry so that all successful participants will receive some scholarship aid.

If would like more information or you are interested in becoming a PAL industry partner or sponsor contact the PAL Program office at (559) 637-2539 or Karri Hammerstrom