Millbrook FFA members attend the N.C. State Youth Hunger Institute.
More than 1 million people around the world are currently struggling and in danger due to food insecurity. Thankfully, this FFA chapter is working to find a creative solution.
Located in Raleigh, N.C., the Millbrook FFA Chapter is participating in the N.C. State Roberts Global Ag Research Externship for the second year in a row. The externship, which was created in 2024 by researchers within the N.C. State Plant Sciences Initiative, pairs high schoolers with graduate mentors based on their research interests.
From October through March, participating students write short research papers based on a country of their choosing that are presented at the N.C. Youth Institute hosted at North Carolina State University (N.C. State) in April. The aim of the institute? Finding solutions to end hunger worldwide.
“My favorite part about this externship was learning more about topics and issues from around the world,” says Millbrook FFA junior Erin Haugland. “This definitely gave me a wider perspective of what other countries are dealing with during this time.”
The five Millbrook members who participated in the 2024 institute researched food insecurity in a wide variety of countries, including Germany, China and Brazil. From there, each member selected a specific industry — animal agriculture, for example — and created an original solution to help solve hunger that could be realistically implemented in today’s world.
During the two days of the institute, the members met at N.C. State to attend a variety of workshops and learn about agriculture and food security worldwide. On the second day, each member met with small roundtable groups to present their research papers and hear other students’ perspectives on ending world hunger.
“The N.C. State externship was a very rewarding experience for me,” says Millbrook student Brighid Lee. “I was able to learn a lot of insightful information about urbanization in China and connect multiple different solutions to the problem. I got to learn about many projects around the world and [about] the different solutions that other students had come up with.”
Although many members are familiar with the line “Living to Serve” within the FFA motto, most people typically associate the words with community service or more direct projects. However, these Millbrook FFA members help remind us of the value of nontraditional service and giving back to their global community through a unique blend of compassion, curiosity and selflessness. By devoting their time to ending hunger worldwide, these members are working to create a better future for millions around the globe.
