Berlinda Heckman Hoffman receives Wallace E. Barron All-University Award

By Amber Friedrichsen

Four students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences have been named recipients of the 2022 Wallace E. Barron All-University Senior Award. Established in 1968, the award recognizes students who display notable character, high academic achievement, and are actively involved in on- and off-campus activities.

Wallace E. “Red” Barron served as Iowa State University’s director of alumni affairs from 1937 until 1968. In addition to administering the award in his honor, the ISU Alumni Association will present recipients with the official Iowa State University ring.

This year’s awardees from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences include:

Belinda (Heckman) Hoffman

Belinda Hoffman

Belinda (Heckman) Hoffman, senior in global resource systems and dietetics, has been a key player in addressing food insecurity at Iowa State and in the Ames community. She served as president of S.H.O.P. (Students Helping Our Peers) for two years and helped facilitate the student-run food pantry’s move across campus from the Food Sciences Building to Beyer Hall.

Hoffman also contributed to food security on an international level when she studied abroad in Uganda in the fall of 2018. There, she interviewed local farmers and community members about farming practices and nutrition to identify areas of improvement.

“I developed surveys and talked to people to find out what kind of issues they faced on their farms,” Hoffman said. “I also asked what they had done to combat those things and what kind of change they would like to see. It was a great learning opportunity.”

Hoffman is the vice-chair of CALS Ambassadors, previously leading the group’s recruitment and planning committee. She has worked for the Iowa Crop Improvement Association, has been a community advisor for Iowa State’s Department of Residence, and is a part of an off-campus student ministry group called International Friendship Connection.

Hoffman’s dream is to find a job that combines her interests in agriculture and food security with her desire to support underrepresented and minoritized groups.

“The things I’ve been involved in are a pretty direct reflection of what I care about,” Hoffman said. “The experiences I’ve had outside the classroom have been impactful in helping me find things I’m passionate about and have shaped my goals.”

Read the original story posted by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, CALS students earn Wallace E. Barron All-University Senior Award | College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (iastate.edu).