Class of 2024: Megan Pollok works internationally to increase food security

Megan Pollok grew up on a fourth-generation farm near Danville knowing one day she would earn a college degree and work in agriculture.

“I grew up in that world and wanted to be a part of it,” she said. “My family has a certified seed farm. Originally, I wanted to be a plant breeder and breed seed, which was what I knew.”

In Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, she found a life-changing mentor, participated in hands-on research, studied in four countries, and gained a newfound passion for global food security. 

She also landed a job far from the Virginia Piedmont, advancing sustainable agriculture in the communities of Africa.

After she receives her bachelor’s degree in crop and soil sciences, Pollok will head to Ghana on a prestigious fellowship from the International Agricultural Education Fellowship Program. The program, founded in partnership with AgriCorps and hosted at the Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture, is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agriculture Service.

Over the next year, Pollok will teach agriculture to rural Ghanaian students, lead a school-based 4-H club, and work with students and community members to support the growth of sustainable food development and agricultural education. 

“I saw through my experiences at Virginia Tech that agriculture is the key to improving economic stability and livelihoods,” she said. “You can’t begin to get ahead in education or move forward into production workforces and careers if you don’t have a sustainable source of nutritious food. By working with children in the schools, we can begin to change lives through agriculture.”

Pollok said Professor Ozzie Abaye was the catalyst that set her on a path toward global food security. With Abaye, the Thomas B. Hutcheson Jr. Professor of Agronomy, Pollok took six classes and traveled to Arkansas, Australia, and South Africa to expand her knowledge of crop and soil sciences and international agriculture.

“Traveling with and learning from Dr. Ozzie opened my eyes to the lasting impact that I could have in global food security,” she said. “She supported me beyond what I could have imagined and will be a mentor and friend for life.”

Throughout all four years of her studies in the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Pollok participated in research and internship opportunities. As an intern for the Global Agricultural Productivity (GAP) Initiative, she supported research and communications efforts for the international GAP Report tracking agricultural productivity. In summer internships with the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research and Virginia Cooperative Extension, Pollok helped scientists study the effects of beneficial bacteria on hydroponic lettuce and winter wheat varieties and performed corn and small grains fieldwork.

During her senior year, she traveled to Ghana with graduate student Mary Michael Lipford Zahed to build a community garden alongside residents of Kpone Katamanso and collaborators from Ghana’s University of Cape Coast.

As a peer mentor for students in the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences' First-Year Experience course, she enjoyed helping students navigate the numerous paths and opportunities available to them.

“My main purpose was to show other students through my experiences that there are so many opportunities, resources, and support systems here for them,” she said. “The faculty and advisors go above and beyond to help students to succeed.”

Pollok credits much of her own success to a scholarship from Altria Group Inc., which gave her the freedom to pursue life-changing research and study abroad opportunities.

“The scholarship was really meaningful to me because I was concerned about how I would make money while at school to support myself,” she said. “Because of the Altria scholarship, I was able to work in internships or jobs related to my future career aspirations without worrying about having to work in an unrelated job just to make money.”

After her year in Ghana, Pollok hopes to attend graduate school, focusing on community engagement and development work and, one day, work in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service or in a nongovernmental organization supporting food security and international development.

“I could not have imagined the opportunities I would experience at Virginia Tech,” Pollok said. “Everything I have been involved in has been made possible through the support of advisors, faculty, and staff within the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences. They opened so many doors for me, and I look forward to using my knowledge to pursue experiences in international agriculture through my fellowship.”