Resilient, dedicated, persistent and friendly are all words that can be used to describe Khadija Mbacke.
A graduating senior in agronomy and horticulture, Mbacke was selected as the spring 2024 College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Student Council Distinguished Service Award recipient. The award recognizes her service and dedication on and off campus.
Mbacke was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, then moved with her family to Senegal, where she lived most of her childhood. She returned to the U.S. in her mid-teens and lived in New York. With the decision to attend college on the horizon, Mbacke worked hard to make that a reality.
She enrolled at Iowa State University as an agronomy student during the spring 2020 semester and soon realized she needed to find a way to finance her education. She enlisted in the National Guard, taking advantage of the GI Bill to pay for her college degree.
After completing basic training, Mbacke was deployed overseas in December 2020, returning to the U.S. and Iowa State in time for the fall 2021 semester. She said her time in the National Guard has taught her resilience.
“I had to work hard to excel in the Army, just as I have had to do in my classes,” Mbacke said.
With an interest in research, Mbacke began working in associate professor of agronomy Marshall McDaniel’s lab, where she was paired with an older student who introduced her to horticulture. Mbacke was so inspired by the work that she declared horticulture her second major.
“I’ve gained a lot of experience working in the lab and appreciate the graduate students who have guided me,” Mbacke said.
Knowing she wanted to further her education beyond Iowa State, Mbacke joined the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program, which prepares undergraduate students for entry into graduate school.
“The McNair program has really helped set me apart from other graduate school candidates by helping me write my CV and statement of purpose,” Mbacke said. “It’s a really supportive organization.”
Ashley Garrin, director of the McNair Program, said Mbacke has sought to find ways to bring what she’s learning and researching back to Senegal to improve their farming operations.
“Khadija is a strong scholar who will do great things,” Garrin said. “I am continually amazed by her thoughtfulness, maturity and sureness of her academic and career path.”
The combination of her McNair program involvement and research background gave Mbacke the experience needed to be accepted into Purdue’s graduate program. There, she’ll study controlled environment horticulture.
Reflecting on her Iowa State adventure, Mbacke said she has enjoyed the campus environment. Her journey to earning her bachelor’s degrees has not always been easy, but she is grateful to everyone at Iowa State who has supported her.
“A lot of barriers and challenges came up, but I always tried to do my best, and I was willing to put in the work,” Mbacke said.
Additional article and video via ISU News Service
Above article by Whitney Baxter, CALS
In photo at top: Sokhna “Khadija” Mbacke is dedicated not only to doing well as a student, but to serving the United States through her involvement in the National Guard.
