The Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics congratulates all of our recent graduates.
Pictured above are doctoral graduates and dissertation advisors: assistant professor Sebastien Houde, Aaron Adalja, Romina Ordoñez, former assistant professor Vivian Hoffmann (now at the International Food Policy Research Institute), Ziyan Yang, and associate professor Ken Leonard. Aaron will be an assistant professor at Cornell, Romina has been working for the Inter-American Development Bank since she completed her Ph.D. last fall, and Ziyan will be an assistant professor at Xiamen University. Zheng (Jen) He, and Andrew Brudevold-Newman will also be graduating this summer. Jen will be a senior consultant for Ernst & Young and Andrew will be a development economist with the American Institute for Research.
Over 30 undergraduate students from the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics graduated. The undergraduate student speaker for the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources commencement was Sam Norris. Hailing from Frederick County, Maryland, Sam was an AREC major specializing in Business Management with a minor in Sustainability Studies. During his time at Maryland, Sam strived for success in all that he did and looked for every opportunity to get more involved with the Department. As a member of the AREC Student Advisory Board, Sam planned multiple events to promote the major and provide his fellow students with the resources they needed. This year, Sam moderated the long awaited and much anticipated return of AREC Alumni Career Panel Discussion. After graduation, Sam plans to take what he has learned and use it to follow his passion for conservation and sustainable community development, wherever that may take him.