CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 02/26/18

From Toccoa to the state Capitol, UGA student Madison Hickey helps craft policies to help Georgia agriculture

By Merritt Melancon

It’s 11 a.m. on Thursday, during the Georgia General Assembly’s spring session, and people from all over the state start to the fill the wide hallways of the Georgia Capitol in downtown Atlanta.

It’s noisy, and it’s noticeably warmer inside than the weather outside on this brisk February morning.

“This happens every day about this time,” said Madison Hickey, a senior studying agricultural communication at the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES).

The crowded hallways of the Capitol are a far cry from the small town of Toccoa, Georgia, where Hickey grew up, or even the quiet calm of South Campus at UGA, but it suits her.

Hickey is a legislative intern with the state Senate Committee on Agriculture and Consumer Affairs as part of CAES’s Georgia Legislative Internship. Through this competitive program, students spend 12 weeks working full time at the Georgia Capitol, helping legislators craft policies that will impact the state’s largest industry, agriculture. CAES and the Senate agriculture and consumer affairs committee sponsor the program.

Hickey, who has been interested in the policies that shape agriculture since her days with the FFA Chapter of Stephens County High School in Toccoa, decided to use the legislative internship as a capstone experience for her CAES career.

“I chose to serve as a legislative intern because I believe it is important to have an understanding of the legislative process and how decisions on the state level impact all Georgians,” said Hickey, whose time studying agricultural communication solidified her interest in the policymaking process.

Her experience working with Sen. John Wilkinson, who represents the Toccoa area in the state Senate and serves as chairman of the agriculture and consumer affairs committee, helped her understand how policy decisions are made.

“I have learned that it truly takes a team of individuals working together to develop and pass a bill,” Hickey said.

Hickey credits her agricultural communication courses with preparing her for work at the Capitol.

“Madison has been a tremendous asset to our office this session,” said Sen. Wilkinson about Hickey’s ability to keep up with the fast pace of the Capitol. “She is very bright and has a tremendous work ethic. She has been here every day and has done a great job communicating with constituents and members of the agriculture community.”

After her experience in Atlanta, Hickey will graduate from CAES in May and hopes to pursue a career where she can merge her passions for agricultural policy and agricultural marketing.

CAES's Georgia Legislative Internship is supported with help from the CAES Deans' Promise Fund and the Elliott and Christy Marsh Legislative Internship Fund. 

For more information about the opportunities for leadership available to students attending CAES, visit students.caes.uga.edu.

Merritt Melancon, a public relations manager for the UGA Terry College of Business, previously served as a public relations coordinator for the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and UGA Extension.

Authors:
Merritt Melancon
Experts/Sources:
Joe Broder
Madison Hickey, a senior majoring in agricultural communication, is serving as a legislative intern with the Senate Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee as part of the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences' legislative internship program. She will spend 12 weeks working with the committee, which is chaired by Sen. John Wilkinson. Madison Hickey, a senior majoring in agricultural communication, is serving as a legislative intern with the Senate Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee as part of the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences' legislative internship program. Through this competitive program, students spend 12 weeks working full time in the Georgia Capitol, helping legislators craft policies that will impact the state's largest industry: agriculture. CAES and the Senate Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee sponsor the program.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Download Image
Conner Hall CAES News
CAES welcomes 2024 cohort of Rural Scholars 11/20/24 Maria M. Lameiras
The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences welcomed its fourth cohort of students chosen for the CAES Rural Scholars Program this fall just weeks after celebrating the program's first graduation. Georgia Orman, one of four inaugural Rural Scholars in CAES, graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education. The new scholars for 2024, all from Georgia, are Ela Ash of Ocilla, Lauren E. Coley of Cochran, Amelia Housley of Canon, and London O’Steen of Ambrose.
Women play a vital role in rural American farming, but much of that work is "invisible," like raising children or household chores, according to a new UGA study. (Getty Images) CAES News
The women and stress behind rural farming in America 11/19/24 Leigh Hataway
Recent research from the University of Georgia suggests the unique stresses from farm life may be taking a toll on one of the pillars of the families that make your dinners possible: the women who keep farming families running. “If we don’t control our food sources, we don’t control our health and safety,” said Anna Scheyett, lead author of the study and a professor in UGA’s School of Social Work. “It’s a matter of national security that farmers survive in the United States. And one of the big factors in helping farms survive is women.”
TiftonCampusSunset2 CAES News
CAES Transfer Pathways Program expands enrollment access for rural students 11/12/24 Emily Cabrera
The Transfer Pathways Program is opening new doors for rural students who dream of attending the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES). In partnership with Wiregrass Georgia Technical College and Southern Regional Technical College, students who complete required coursework at these institutions can transfer to CAES to complete bachelor’s degrees in one of three majors — agribusiness, agricultural education, and agriscience and environmental systems. 
Kevan Lamm teaching undergraduate students CAES News
CAES researchers prepare students to address complex challenges of the future 10/29/24 Emily Cabrera
Over the next three years, researchers in the University of Georgia’s Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication aim to transform undergraduate education in agricultural and environmental sciences by integrating systems thinking — an approach that encourages students to see the bigger picture by understanding how different components within a system interact.
Ropes course at Georgia 4-H camp CAES News
Campers create lasting memories of summer at Georgia's 4-H centers 10/07/24 Josie Smith
By the end of his first week at 4-H summer camp, fifth grader Cooper Hardy already had many memories of new and exciting experiences. “That was the first time I got in a canoe,” Hardy said. “It was a big deal for me.” Now, 10 years later, Hardy serves as a Georgia 4-H camp counselor at Rock Eagle 4-H Center in Eatonton, Georgia. It’s a dream he’s held since the first time he set foot on the sprawling, wooded 1,500-acre campus as a camper.
Caroline Hinton is the director of experiential learning for the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. (Photo by Peter Frey/UGA) CAES News
Director of experiential learning herds students toward new fields of education 10/02/24 Averi Caldwell
Caroline Hinton wants to foster a love of learning for all students who walk through her door. As the director of experiential learning for the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Hinton helps students connect with their fields of study outside of the classroom. “I find joy and excitement in getting to watch students experience different parts of agriculture and find a place in our state’s own agriculture industry,” she said.