Alcorn Students triumph in MANRRS competition win

Alcorn Students triumph in MANRRS competition win

Several Alcorn State University School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences students won awards for their outstanding skills during a recent competition.

Three students, Keila Jones, Jaheime Herrington, and Zyria Queen, all agribusiness management majors, were winners during the Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (MANRRS) Regional Competition in Atlanta. The winners were three of 14 Alcorn MANRRS Chapter students participating in the competition.

The winners will compete in the national competition in April 2023.

MANRRS is an organization that promotes academic and professional advancement by empowering minorities in agriculture, natural resources, and related sciences.

Jones, a Port Gibson, Mississippi native, won 1st Place in the Elevator Speech Competition, thanked her advisors for the preparation.

“Going into this competition, we practiced for weeks to ensure we knew all the guidelines and met all the requirements for the competition,” said Jones. “Our advisors prepared us well.”

Herrington, a Fayette, Mississippi native who won 3rd Place in the Elevator Speech Competition, appreciated the opportunity to step out of his comfort zone throughout the competition.

“This competition gave me an opportunity to pitch ideas to a group of people in a small amount of time. This is something I’d worked on prior to preparing for the competition,” said Herrington.

Zyria Queen, a Fayette, Mississippi native, who won 2nd Place in the Impromptu Speaking Competition, was grateful to have participated in the event.

“Once I got in the competition, I felt amazing and excited to be a part of MANRRS,” said Queen, “I interacted with and met so many new people during the competition.”

Casnacita Gray, director for Student Services at Alcorn, believes that the students and advisors made Alcorn proud.

“Overall, it was a great experience for the students,” said Gray. “We are extremely proud of Keila, Jaheime, and Zyria, who will compete at Nationals in Atlanta in April.”