Faith Aiya is a second-year master’s student in the food and resource economics department. She hails from Edo, Nigeria, where she obtained her bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics in 2017. Faith’s current research is aimed at helping Florida citrus growers manage the economic costs and risks associated with Citrus greening, an incurable disease that is currently devastating the Florida citrus industry and the U.S at large. She has received several awards for her research on citrus greening, including 3rd place at a three-minute thesis competition and being named the 2022 Philip Herndon scholar in her department.
Faith is a member of the ASx committee, which collaborates with the Center for African studies to provide useful resources and organize resourceful, informative, and social events for African graduate students at the University of Florida. She is also the secretary of her department’s graduate student organization, the treasurer of the minorities in agriculture, natural resources, and related sciences club, and a member of the Alpha Epsilon Lambda honors society. Upon the completion of her master’s degree, Faith hopes to obtain her doctorate degree in Agricultural economics and contribute to the growth of the U.S agricultural industry.