UMO senior wins ag award
By From staff reports
Published in News on January 22, 2014 1:46 PM
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Hannah Singleton of Goldsboro, a senior agriculture education major at the University of Mount Olive, recently won the North Carolina Farm Bureau Collegiate Discussion Meet. Ms. Singleton is pictured with Farm Bureau Executive Vice President J.M. Wright.
MOUNT OLIVE -- Hannah Singleton of Goldsboro, a senior agriculture education major at the University of Mount Olive, recently won the North Carolina Farm Bureau Collegiate Discussion Meet.
She will now represent North Carolina at the American Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmer and Rancher Leadership Conference to be held in early February in Virginia Beach, Va., where she will compete in the National Discussion Meet.
The Discussion Meet contest is designed to simulate a committee meeting where discussion and active participation are expected from each participant. The competition is evaluated on an exchange of ideas and information on a pre-determined topic.
The judges are looking for the contestant that offers constructive criticism, cooperation, and communication while analyzing agricultural problems and developing solutions.
Discussion Meet competitors must be engaged in agriculture curriculums. While the knowledge gained is important to the competitors, those students progressing to the state level of competition also receive a cash prize for their efforts from the N.C. Farm Bureau Federation.
"It was extremely exciting to be selected the state winner," Miss Singleton said. "This event provides competitors an opportunity not only to learn about pertinent issues in agriculture, but to improve their verbal communication and persuasion skills to offer solutions for these issues.
"I look forward to representing the University of Mount Olive at the national level and appreciate the partnership we have with the Farm Bureau Federation which allows me to participate in this event."
Miss Singleton competed against five other competitors -- two from N.C. State University, two from N.C. A&T State University and UMO classmate Jessica Hogan, a senior agriculture education student from Mount Olive.
"I am very proud of all of our students for competing well at the regional level and extremely proud of Hannah for her preparation and persistence to succeed in winning this coveted award," said Dr. Sandy Maddox, director of the university's Lois G. Britt Agribusiness Center. "To compete with the land grant universities and to be successful in bringing the title to the University of Mount Olive is very rewarding for all of us."
Fourteen University of Mount Olive students competed at the regional level of the N.C. Farm Bureau Collegiate Discussion Meet.
They are agriculture education students: Tyler Adams of Benson of Benson; Heath Brittain of Catawba; Kaitlyn Brock of Mount Olive; Jessica Gordon of Staley; Dillon Robinson of Norlina; Hannah Smith of Staley; Elizabeth Rowe of Goldsboro; Cole Watkins of Hillsborough; Chelsea Sawkiw of Princeton; Paige Herring of Goldsboro; Paige Shuler of Edenton; and David Thomas a senior in agribusiness from Timberlake.
For more information, visit www.umo.edu.