Ritma Aftab is a May 2019 graduate from Garland, Texas. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Recreation, Park, and Tourism Sciences with an emphasis in Parks and Conservation. During her time at Texas A&M she was involved in MSC FLI, a freshman leadership organization, and Rho Delta Chi Sorority Inc., for which she served as fundraising chair and vice president of service. Through her vice president position, she was able to organize many community service events and a philanthropy week dedicated to raising awareness for the American Lung Association. Her passion for community service and nonprofit work also led her to work as an intern for the National Alliance on Mental Illness – Brazos Valley during her time in school. Combining her love for nonprofit work and conservation, Ritma hopes to work with environmental nonprofits in the future. She is excited to work for Congressman John Ratcliffe and looks forward to the valuable professional skills and public policy knowledge she will acquire through this internship.
Ashley Carter
Office of Congressman Filemon Vela
Ashley Carter is a senior at Texas A&M University pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Soil and Crop Science with a Crop Emphasis and a minor in Agricultural Economics. She plans on receiving her degree in May 2020. She moved three years ago from Brasilia, Brazil to pursue a college degree. Ashley hopes to one day go back to her home country and work with international trade analysis and policy making. She first found her passion in agriculture when her father’s family began farming in Brazil and also when she started to get involved in the rodeo world with barrel racing. After 17 years in living in the midst of agriculture, she decided to further her agricultural education at Texas A&M University, the same place her dad got his degree. At Texas A&M she is highly involved in the Agronomy Society in which she is a member and treasurer. Becoming the treasurer has helped gain exceptional leadership and time management skills which she hopes will help her excel in her future career. The Agronomy Society host’s the annual fall corn maze and also raises awareness of agriculture with kids in the Brazos Valley area. She hopes to one day work as a commodity trade analyst and help aid in the beneficial relationship between large companies and the government, working together to further agriculture. She hopes to use her skills acquired over the years to help her excel in the Office of Congressman Filemon Vela where she will be interning in the fall.
Carley Casbeer
House Committee on Agriculture
Carley Casbeer grew up in Corsicana, Texas and is a senior agricultural science major at Texas A&M University. Her parents are Monty and Davelyn Casbeer and she has a brother, Tyler. She graduated from Corsicana High School in 2016. She was very involved throughout high school especially in FFA. In October of 2018 she received the highest degree an FFA member can receive; the American FFA Degree. Carley mentors younger 4-H and FFA members and takes pride in seeing pure joy in their success. Agriculture has been a part of her life for some time now and she wants to be able to give back to the agriculture community and her future students. Ms. Casbeer started taking college classes the summer between her freshman and sophomore year in high school. She began her college career at Tarleton State University in the Fall of 2016 but transferred to Texas A&M University in Spring of 2017. She is currently student teaching at James E. Taylor High School in Katy, Texas. Teaching agriculture is Carley’s passion and she cannot wait to see how her future students can grow through agricultural education.
Morgan Everitt
Office of Congressman John Carter
Morgan Everitt graduated in May 2019 with a Bachelor of Science degree in bioenvironmental sciences. He was born and raised in Bedford, TX, a small city tucked neatly between Fort Worth and Dallas. His time at Texas A&M fostered his passions for the life sciences, public health policy, and environmental sustainability, and he hopes to channel those passions into his work as an intern in Washington, D.C. and beyond. Morgan has worked as a student research assistant in two plant pathology labs over the course of his undergraduate career and for the past year and a half has been assisting Dr. Heather Wilkinson redevelop the course curriculum for her U.S. Environmental Laws and Regulations course. Morgan has been an active member of the National Association of Environmental Professionals for three years and has served as its vice president for two. He aspires to attend law school and specialize in environmental and natural resource law and hopes to use his knowledge to the benefit of public health and the environment. He is grateful for the opportunity to intern with Congressman John Carter and is eager to begin working in the fall.
Marcus Frazier
Office of Congressman Bill Flores
Marcus Ethan Frazier is a first-generation Aggie from Bay City, Texas. He is currently on track to graduate in May of 2021 with a B.S. in agricultural economics with a concentration in policy and economic analysis. On campus, Marcus volunteers for the campus Muster Ceremony and serves as an officer for Texas A&M’s Horsemen’s Association- an educational and networking opportunity for students that are passionate about the equine industry. Marcus currently works part-time for the Policy Internship Programs Office. His passion for agriculture stemmed from him growing up involved in his county fair, FFA, 4H and his family’s beef cattle operation on the Texas Gulf Coast. After graduation, Marcus plans to attend law school. He is excited to spend the fall 2019 semester interning in the Office of Congressman Bill Flores, as he views it as an excellent opportunity to expand his professional network and develop quality experience in policy that relates to both agriculture and natural resources as well as the variety of other issues in which Congressman Flores is involved.
Hunter Free
National Farmers Union
Hunter Free is a senior agricultural economics major from Frisco, Texas. He will be graduating in May of 2020 with minors in economics and bioenvironmental sciences. Hunter’s passion for public policy began while competing in Academic Decathlon from 2014 through 2016 while in high school. There, among a diverse array of topics, he learned about energy generation, current and historical environmental and energy policy, and the impacts of current environmental and energy issues on different countries. Apart from his studies he works part-time at Freebirds on Northgate and plays the bass in the university’s Philharmonic Orchestra. He also participates in Student Bonfire and served as Schuhmacher Hall’s Yellowpot in 2017. In May, Hunter traveled on a study abroad trip to Ghana. Hunter is interning with National Farmers Union in the Fall of 2019. Through this internship, he hopes to gain professional work experience and knowledge about public policy advocacy and the issues affecting farmers, ranchers, and the workers of rural America. After graduating, Hunter wants to pursue a post-graduate degree at Texas A&M and research in the field of environmental economic. In the future, Hunter hopes to pursue a career relating to agricultural, energy or environmental policy.
Krista Jajeh
National Association of Wheat Growers
Krista Jajeh from Houston, Texas is a May 2019 graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in Renewable Natural Resources from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Despite being from the city, Krista has always had a passion for the environment, and during the course of her undergraduate studies, she has learned about the natural world and its relationship to policy. Through her degree, she has studied the anthropogenic interactions and their effects on our surroundings. With her time at Texas A&M, Krista has conducted field research, surveying, and statistical analyses as she had planned on going into a career in research for developing new conservation methods for large-scale farming and commercial agriculture. However her career goals took a different direction as she now aims to pursue a career in environmental law. From her courses, she has grown to appreciate this relationship between the environment and policy and hopes to learn more through her time in Washington D.C. with the National Association of Wheat Growers this fall.
Hanna Lisenbe
Office of Congressman Kevin Brady
Hanna Lisenbe is a Junior Animal Science major from Cleburne, Texas. Her passion for agriculture started at a young age through FFA and 4-H and only grew as she became more involved at Texas A&M University. As an undergraduate Hanna has been involved in the Student Government Association through Legislative Relations, which advocates for students in higher education in Austin, Texas; as well as serving as an officer for the Terry Foundation, and a member of the service committee of COALS Council. She has also had the opportunity to work as an intern for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo for the past two years furthering her passion for educating the public on agriculture. In addition, she has worked for the Texas A&M Vet School at the Reproductive Sciences Complex doing research involving clinical and industry applications of transgenic animals. After graduation she hopes to pursue either a career in agricultural research or policy. She is beyond excited to serve in the office of Representative Kevin Brady to experience and explore policy making at the national level.
Linda Quintero
National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
Linda Hesles Quintero is a recent Texas A&M graduate from Eagle Pass, TX. She graduated in May 2019 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Studies and a minor in Geography. Linda developed her passion for science throughout her time as a GeoFORCE scholar. GeoFORCE Texas is an outreach program housed by the University of Texas at Austin’s Jackson School of Geosciences; the White House recognized this program by awarding it a Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring. She also interned with Texas A&M’s Office of Sustainability. As a Sustainability Outreach Specialist, she gained crucial experience in conducting research and communicating with the campus about various sustainability topics. Her unique opportunities with the office, including her involvement with Fair Trade Campaigns, has helped develop her passion for agricultural and environmental policy. Linda is interning with the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives this Fall and is thrilled to be immersed in the political community of Washington D.C. This opportunity will enable her to fulfill her goal of becoming a lawyer in her area of expertise. Linda ultimately hopes to help enable a prosperous future for both our society and our planet.
Valerie Regan
Office of Congressman Louis Gohmert
Valerie Regan, of Houston, Texas, graduated from Texas A&M University in May 2019 with a B.S. in Agricultural Economics and a concentration in Finance and Real Estate. While pursuing her undergraduate degree, Valerie was an active member of the Agricultural Economics Quiz Bowl team, Aggie REPS, and Delta Gamma, and was also the Public Relations Officer for the Society of Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate. Her passion for the environment and sustainability grew tremendously while she was a student in the Department of Agricultural Economics and is what drives her to pursue a career in policy. Before her internship this fall, Valerie spent her summer in Mexico City working for Pulsiam Public Safety Solutions, helping them develop financial and sales strategies. Valerie looks forward to working in the office of Congressman Louie Gohmert this fall and to expand her knowledge of public policy.
Jessica Santos
Office of Congressman Randy Weber
Jessica Santos from Angleton, Texas graduated in May 2019 with bachelor’s degrees in agribusiness and agricultural economics. While at Texas A&M University, Jessica was involved with the Department of Agriculture Economics as a student representative. Outside of Texas A&M, Jessica has volunteered with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo for five years. She helps organize events to raise money for multiple $20,000 scholarships yearly for Brazoria County high schools. During school, Jessica has held two jobs at HEB and Texas A&M Office of Admissions. With these jobs, she learned the ins and outs of customer service in order for the customer to have a lasting, positive experience. She spent the summer of 2017 studying abroad in Scotland where she learned about international agribusiness practices. In addition, Jessica studied with the Mays Europe Marketing Program in seven different European countries in 2018. She learned about international marketing and business practices. These opportunities cultivated her passion for international agriculture policy. Jessica hopes to work internationally with the United States Department of Agriculture to help United States agriculture continue to thrive in other countries around the world. She is excited to gain exposure and learn more about agriculture policy and everything Washington, D.C. has to offer. Jessica will be interning in the Office of Congressman Randy Weber in the fall of 2019 and is excited for this lifetime opportunity.
