Natasha Hightower, a U of A master's degree student, won first place in a national marketing contest sponsored by the Ag Communicators Network.

Hightower is a Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences graduate with a bachelor's degree in agricultural education, communication and technology. She is beginning work on a master's degree in agricultural and extension education.

Hightower's entry focused on creating a marketing plan to attract young professionals to join ACN at the Agricultural Media Summit, which is a national conference for industry professionals. She conducted secondary and primary research to drive communication outreach pieces.

She was mentored by Department of Agricultural Education, Communications and Technology assistant professor Casandra Cox and associate professor Jill Rucker.

ACN is an association for agricultural editors, writers, photographers, designers and other agricultural communications professions. It is part of the American Agricultural Editors Association.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.