Current Students
Dyrana Russell-Hughes 
I was born in the most beautiful Caribbean island of Jamaica and raised in the parish of St. Thomas. My elective in high school (St. Thomas Technical High) was business education but just before graduation I had to make a life long decision whether to remain has a business student with no future or to switch my career to Agriculture with a promising future. My decision led me to Elim Agricultural School and the College of Agriculture, Science and Education where I received an A.Sc degree. A few months later I got the job I had always wanted, Plant Quarantine Officer, at the Norman Manley International Airport. After three years, I realized this was not all that I wanted out of life so I took a flight into the U.S. to Jefferson City, Missouri where I earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Plants and Soil Science at Lincoln University. I then went to Florida A&M University and obtained a Master of Science in Plant Science. My master’s research thesis was titled “Response of Two Hot Pepper Varieties to Organic and Inorganic Nutrient Sources: A Sustainable Production Practice.” Here I got married and started a family. I thought that having a family was going to slow down my career pursuit, but I have strong dreams to accomplish my goals and objectives. I then began the Plant Medicine program at the University of Florida in the fall of 2006. 
I have developed a great level of interest for this program because it is very diverse and has the potential to place me in a lot of job opportunities. Presently, my career interest is to get into regulatory agriculture because I would like to make a difference out there in the world and by being at a port of entry, it will not only help me but the rest of the country.
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