Taj Hewitt is a junior in NC State University’s Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering (BAE). When he was 18 years old he left his family’s farm in his hometown of Montego Bay, Jamaica. He is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in biological and agricultural engineering technology (BAET).

When Hewitt first came to North Carolina he attended Wake Technical Community College before transferring to NC State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences as a Goodnight Scholar. He spends most of his days in Weaver Labs working with Associate Professor Natalie Nelson to support the See Salt project, which focuses on testing low-cost salinity sensing and data transmission systems in partnership with oyster farmers. Hewitt is also a member of Robopack, an agricultural robotics student design club. And this spring he received the college’s Change Maker Award during the inaugural CALS Awards ceremony for his ability to foster community and respect among his peers. 

Below, Hewitt talks about his path to CALS, what he’s learning as a BAET major and how he plans to use his degree in the future.

What led you to NC State?

My aunt got a master’s degree from NC State. Also, my brother, Jaleel, came to the U.S. a year before me. He currently studies agroecology at NC State. So, it was a pretty easy decision to make.

Why did you choose BAET as your major? 

Well, I’ve always been interested in engineering. I studied engineering for two years in high school in Jamaica. That really exposed me to working with machines, planning and designing efficiently. I was fortunate to be exposed to engineering. The agricultural side of my interest, of course, came from farming with my dad. 

How do you handle being so far from home?

We live with our aunt, and she has a Jamaican restaurant. I feel that we tend to interact with a lot of Jamaicans on a regular basis. Jamaicans work in the restaurant, and there are Jamaican customers. I never feel like I’m home sick or anything.

I do credit that to having Jamaicans around me. For example, I studied abroad in Greece this summer, and that was the first time where I felt completely isolated. No one understood my culture, so I found myself thinking I needed to listen to some Jamaican music. 

Are you and your brother both planning to return to Jamaica after graduation? 

That’s the plan. We’re both in agricultural related fields of study right now. He’s studying agroecology, which is essentially learning how to farm sustainably, being mindful of the environment and ensuring that you can maximize yield without deteriorating our environment. We will both apply our knowledge and work with our dad on the farm.

What kind of issues do you plan to address in Jamaica? 

Food insecurity is an issue. There tends to be many storms in Jamaica especially during the rainy season. This is usually from April to September or November. During this time, rain ruins certain crops like tomatoes.

For example, every farmer’s tomato crop in the country gets spoiled. This causes a shortage of tomatoes on the market. To buy tomatoes you would need to spend double or triple the normal price. That’s just not sustainable.

What classes have piqued your interest?

 I took a water management class with Assistant Professor Lucie Guertault. At the beginning of the class, if you asked me if I was interested in floodplain management or stormwater I’d probably have said no. But, after I finished the class and saw how good a professor she was, the topic piqued my interest in learning more about how excess rainfall interacts with everything around us. I’m definitely looking forward to taking more plant agriculture specific classes like that.

In what ways does being an international student affect your perspective?

International students have a richer perspective. I feel like perspective is very important when it comes to not only doing things for yourself, but tackling worldly issues. It’s crucial to see how certain groups of people think and see a situation. Issues are never one-sided.

Another thing is gratitude. Coming from a country where there are not many opportunities for young people, I can say that I feel obligated to always give it my all and always try my hardest to take the opportunities that come to me. I know that there are people in my home country who haven’t had the same opportunities as me. I feel like that’s definitely an advantage when it comes to getting involved.

This post was originally published in College of Agriculture and Life Sciences News.