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Walker Receives Award for Outstanding Senior in Community Engagement

Harrison Walker, L, receives his award from John Russ.

ABM soon-to-be graduate Harrison Walker was recognized at the CALS Honors Banquet which was held on April 17, 2019 in Talley Student Union.

Harrison completed substantial work for the North Carolina (NC) government during his time at NC State University. His family’s background is in agriculture as he is a seventh generation tobacco farmer in Virginia. Harrison’s experiences with the Adolph Warren Leadership Program exposed him to the field of community engagement. As a Warren Fellow, Harrison aided in the process that led to legislation assisting the farming community throughout the country, and in continued employment as Representative William Brisson’s assistant, he made regular calls to constituents to assist them in gaining support from state agencies. This work directly affected agriculture stakeholders.

Harrison also served as a Jesse Helms Intern and his work had a direct influence on the 2018 Farm Bill. This work required many trips to constituent’s farms, meetings with various businesspeople, and extensive research.

Currently, Harrison’s work is also in the form of community engagement as he assists Commissioner Steve Troxler in an effort to continue to make headway for the agricultural community in the state. He assists Commissioner Troxler in a variety of roles to make improvements to the lives of the constituents of North Carolina. Harrison’s goal is to attend law school so that he may continue his education toward a life of public service and engagement. We are incredibly supportive of Harrison’s goals, his work in the community thus far and believe that he embodies the intention of this award.

Harrison shares:

One of the most memorable moments of my college experience was my internship with Senator Thom Tillis last summer. As Senator Jesse Helms Fellow, I had the opportunity to spend the summer working specifically on agriculture policy. I was tasked with identifying a policy issue within the agriculture industry and developing a solution. I chose to conduct my research on agriculture labor reform, an issue that has directly affected my family’s farming operation. After meeting with stakeholders in Washington, D.C., hearing stories from farmers who face these issues everyday, and conducting a summer’s worth of research, I presented my proposals to the Senator’s senior staff. Being able to discuss my own policy proposals for an issue that hits so close to home reinforced my passion for agriculture policy.