Agriculture Education Student to Represent UMO at Conference
Agriculture Education Student to Represent UMO at Conference
MOUNT OLIVE- Agriculture education major Christopher Hicks has been selected to serve as an intern for the 6thAnnual Collaborative Conference for Student Achievement (CCSA). Hicks is a freshman at the University of Mount Olive (UMO) and is excited to represent the Education Department at the conference, which will be held in March at the Four Seasons/Joseph Koury Convention Center in Greensboro. Hicks is the second UMO student to have earned the honor in the past few years.
Hicks heard about the opportunity of the CCSA through the Agriculture Education Department. His professors encouraged him to take advantage of the opportunity and apply. For the application, he had to submit a paper on the selected topic of “Who was a champion teacher for you?”
“The NC Department of Public Instruction chooses only five students from across the state to serve as interns at the CCSA,” said Hicks. “So my paper landed me this position! It is a huge honor, and I believe the position allows me to represent the prestigious education program that we have here at UMO. It also gives me the chance to develop professional relationships with potential employers.”
At the conference, Hicks will help the NC Department of Public Instruction with conference registration, individual professional development sessions, and networking opportunities.
“Dr. Ruby Bell and Dr. Sandra Maddox have supported me through this process. I am very thankful for the guiding hands that have allowed me to expand on my potential and develop into a distinguished 21st century teacher in North Carolina,” smiled Hicks.
Hicks is from Comfort, NC, and attends Rivermont Baptist Church. In the future, Hicks hopes to use his experience from the Education Department and the CCSA to work as a high school agriculture teacher. He also plans on attending graduate school in hopes of obtaining a master’s degree and then a Ph.D. in administration. His ultimate goal is to serve as either a superintendent or an official within the Department of Public Instruction.
The University of Mount Olive is a private institution rooted in the liberal arts tradition with defining Christian values. The University, sponsored by the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists, has locations in Mount Olive, New Bern, Wilmington, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, Research Triangle Park, Washington, Jacksonville, and in Smithfield at Johnston Community College. For more information, visit old.umo.edu.
