Agriscience education major selected as College of Education Spring 2024 Student Marshal

Jessica Grace Westmoreland, an undergraduate student majoring in agriscience education, will represent the College of Education as the student marshal in Auburn University’s spring 2024 graduation ceremony. Westmoreland will earn a Bachelor of Science.

From Rainsville, Alabama, Westmoreland grew up with her parents, John and Pam, and her brothers, John Quaid and George, and credits her family and faith for all her achievements. After graduating from Plainview High School at the top of her class, she wanted to combine her passion for agriculture with her desire to teach others about the subject, and she knew Auburn would be her next stop. 

“Auburn is now where I call home because of the deep roots that I have planted here,” said Westmoreland. “What sets Auburn apart is the community and tradition that surrounds the campus and engulfs its people. It is because of the wonderful friendships and second family I have here that makes my education from Auburn University greater than if I earned it from anywhere else.” 

Throughout her time on the Plains, Westmoreland was involved both on campus and in the community, serving as a member of the Auburn University Student Recruiters and the International Student Organization. She was president of Future Agriscience Teachers for four years and held various leadership roles in Lakeview Baptist Church's college and youth ministries, including a two-year internship.

Westmoreland’s favorite part of the agriscience education program has been the strong relationships she has built with her peers and faculty members. 

“Jessica is an energetic and professional agriculturalist and educator. She strives to improve herself through authentic experiences while being a model ambassador for Auburn University,” said Christopher Clemons, associate professor of agriscience education. “She has fully engrained herself to the culture, traditions and values the Auburn family holds most dear, and her greatest attribute is her Auburn spirit.”

After graduation, she plans to pursue a master’s and a doctorate degree and then hopes to return to Auburn as a professor to teach about agriculture. She is also interested in conducting international agricultural research in underdeveloped countries and teaching in a high school or extension setting.

“Students are heavily influenced by those around them during adolescence, especially by individuals who are teaching them to be functioning members of society,” she said. “My goal is to become a teacher who positively influences each student in her classroom to become their best selves both in the classroom and their community.”