Twenty students from across the college have been selected to serve as 2024-25 ambassadors for U of A's Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.

Following an application and interview process, they were selected to work both on-campus and off-campus recruiting events, to assist with Dean's Office and college-wide events, serve as representatives of the college, help with retention efforts and connecting with students, assist in other recruiting functions, and share the philosophy and benefits of enrollment in the college to prospective students, parents and alumni.

The ambassadors report to Laykyn Rainbolt, coordinator of undergraduate student recruitment.

"With the experiences represented in our ambassador group, I'm confident we have someone who has been in your shoes on our team," Rainbolt says. "Whether you're a junior at a rural high school thinking college isn't for you, or you're an incoming freshman from a large urban area outside of Arkansas, we have an ambassador who has lived through that experience and is eager to assist you through those times."

The group includes:

• Evan Seay, junior; agricultural education, communications and technology
• Karley Williams, sophomore; agricultural education, communications and technology
• Max Smiley, senior, agricultural business
• Lizzie Tribout, junior, agricultural business
• Kelly Duggins, senior; agricultural education, communications and technology; and animal science
• Thomas Owings, senior; agricultural education, communications and technology; and animal science
• Josh Uptigrove, junior; agricultural education, communications and technology
• Molly Stephenson, junior, apparel merchandising and product development
• Carson Hoth, senior, animal science
• Ashley Rivera Pitti, junior, animal science
• Emma Richards, senior, animal science
• Elle Johnston, senior, animal science
• Colten Nichols, junior, crop science
• Esther Moore, sophomore; environmental, soil and water science
• Cason Frisby, junior, food science
• Abby Lunn, senior, food science
• Logan Smith, senior, human development and family sciences
• Leah Martin, sophomore, human nutrition and dietetics
• Taylor Schubauer, senior, poultry science
• Morgan Gaither, senior, poultry science

Duggins is serving as the lead ambassador; Richards is the coordination chair. and Seay, the events chair.

"I am so excited for this group to represent the college over the next year," Rainbolt says. "This is a group of passionate, driven individuals with diverse backgrounds and a wealth of ideas and experiences to lend to Bumpers College. They have already brought multiple ideas to the table, and I'm already struggling to keep up with them, and they've been on summer break!"

The mission of the ambassador program is to promote, empower and inspire the Bumpers College family by being inclusive, knowledgeable and resourceful, professional and approachable, appreciating diversity, showing the family aspect of the college and being servant leaders.

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 $3 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.