Sydney Lundberg, a junior agricultural economics major from Albuquerque, New Mexico, has been selected for Texas Tech University's inaugural offering of the ‘Livable Futures Student Fellowship.' As the fellowship recipient, she will receive a $5,000 stipend while putting in up to 20 hours each week on a variety of projects and will be on-call for special events. 

“I've developed an interest in the unique challenges that are faced by the agricultural sector of the American economy,” Lundberg said. “In particular, I see that these two areas often have competing concerns, and I am interested in finding innovative ways to meet both sets of needs.” 

Lundberg will support the initiative's programming, outreach and engagement, as well as help coordinate and communicate with constituencies, especially students. In addition to serving as an ambassador for the Creating Livable Futures Fellowship, she will assist in developing the program's social media and web presence, as well as develop related educational materials.  

Launched in 2021, the Creating Livable Futures program is a campus-wide initiative supported by nearly a dozen Texas Tech faculty members that prepare students to communicate in an interdisciplinary and global way. The program seeks to form solutions to challenges posed by pressing issues that speak to society's collective well-being and sustainability.  

“Sydney's career goals align closely with the aims of the fellowship; we expect her to become a sustainability thought-leader and first-rate researcher in her own right,” said Bryan Giemza, associate professor of humanities and literature in the Honors College and creator of the Livable Futures Fellowship.

Lundberg is currently enrolled in a 150-hour BS/MS Agricultural and Applied Economic program. Following graduation with a master's degree, she plans to either attend law school to pursue a career in policy development related to global resource policy and economic development or earn a doctorate in the field of agricultural economics.

Giemza noted that the Creating Livable Futures initiative leverages the holdings and perspectives of Texas Tech's Sowell Family Collection in Literature, Community and the Natural World, which contains the personal papers of some of the country's most prominent writers on the natural world, including the late National Book Award winner Barry Lopez. Writers in the Sowell Collection have received numerous honors including a MacArthur Genius Award, Stegner Fellowships, John Burroughs Awards, and numerous awards for literary and scientific writing.

Lundberg is an active participant in several College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources programs. She is a member of the second cohort (2020-2021) of the Matador Institute of Leadership Engagement (MILE), a program for undergraduate students in CASNR that seeks to develop participants' personal and professional skills while exposing them to the key issues affecting local, state, and national agriculture and policy. 

The program is designed to provide participants with a competitive edge when seeking career opportunities after graduation. Each MILE cohort will take place over three semesters and include 14 selected students representing the six CASNR academic departments.

Contributing Abby Stone

CONTACT: Phillip Johnson, chairman and director of the university's Thornton Agricultural Finance Institute, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Texas Tech University at (806) 834-0474 or phil.johnson@ttu.edu

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