MSU forestry graduate brings home national award
Contact: Reagan Poston
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擜 national organization is honoring a recent 幺力视频 forestry graduate as an exemplary student leader.
The Society of American Foresters has named Samantha 鈥淪am鈥 Seamon of Prattville, Alabama, the winner of this year鈥檚 Student Leadership Award. The honor is given for embodying leadership and positive growth within both the forestry industry and the organization.
The spring summa cum laude graduate is continuing her studies as a Master of Business Administration student in MSU鈥檚 College of Business. She joined SAF when she first enrolled at MSU.
鈥淢y plan is to go into the private forestry industry, and I鈥檓 interested in forest economics and forest finance, hence the business degree, but forestry is my home. The people, atmosphere, attitudes, values鈥攅verything drew me in, and I want to be a part of it for the rest of my life,鈥 Seamon said.
Robert K. Grala, MSU forestry professor and faculty advisor of the university鈥檚 SAF student chapter, said Seamon is very deserving of the accolade.
鈥淪amantha has always been a champion of the SAF and student involvement. She has demonstrated an outstanding level of initiative, leadership, commitment and responsibility that have been crucial for the success of our 幺力视频 student chapter, and she has served as an inspiration to many new student members,鈥 Grala said.
Seamon said MSU鈥檚 SAF chapter, ranking among the top-three best student chapters nationally for more than 20 years, made her want to jump at the chance to get involved.
She served as a freshman representative and assumed an officer role as secretary during her sophomore year. By her junior year, Seamon was elected president, and she said it was through this role that she grew her leadership skills, coordinating with industry professionals to hold recruitment meetings and networking events with chapter members.
鈥淚 could probably handle any curveball in my career because of the communication and organizational skills I learned as the student chapter president. It鈥檚 a tough position, but it鈥檚 so worth it,鈥 Seamon said. 鈥淚鈥檝e always considered myself a leader because I鈥檓 very driven, but there was so much to learn, from organizational skills to time management to the delegation of tasks.鈥
Seamon is continuing her SAF service as a district student representative, a liaison between the national organization and the six universities in her district, as well as chair of the student representative鈥檚 social media committee.
At MSU, she has capitalized on opportunities, including multiple summer internships, some of which she found through SAF.
鈥淚鈥檓 so appreciative for the skills that not only MSU as a whole but the College of Forest Resources and the Department of Forestry have given me. I鈥檓 proud of myself, and I鈥檓 proud to be a Bulldog,鈥 Seamon said.
For more on the MSU SAF chapter, see聽. Information about the College of Forest Resources is found at聽; the Department of Forestry, at聽; and the College of Business at .
MSU is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.