By: Cynthia M. Lamb Portalatin
College of Agriculture and Food Sciences
Attorney Melody Hadley graduated from the College of Agriculture and Food Sciences (CAFS) (with a bachelor’s degree in agribusiness in 1997 and is now an assistant attorney general and advocate for the Florida Commission on Ethics.
“We should all be proud of attorney Hadley’s achievement because it reflects the education she received as a Florida A&M University student in our College. From the College of Agriculture and Food Sciences, one can go on to law school, medical school, graduate school, local, state, and national government, and almost anywhere,” said Robert W. Taylor, Ph.D., CAFS dean and director of Land-Grant Programs.
Hadley began her studies at FAMU in 1993, as an agribusiness major in the College of Engineering, Sciences, Agriculture, and Technology (CESTA), now known as CAFS. She received a Life Gets Better Scholarship sponsored by Ciba-Geigy, now known as Novartis and interned with the company for three summers.
After graduating magna cum laude in 1997, she immediately entered graduate school at the
University of Florida (UF) through the FAMU-UF feeder program. She was accepted into UF’s law school prior to completing her master’s degree in agricultural operations management, which she earned in 2001. Hadley earned a Juris Doctorate from the University of Florida in 2002.
After initially working in private practice, she joined the Office of the Attorney General in 2005.
Join us in a Q&A as we follow Hadley’s FAMU journey to success:
What influenced you in deciding to attend FAMU and in choosing your major?
“I am a Rattler through and through. I have a long history of family members who have attended FAMU, including my parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins. In fact, my maternal grandparents received an award from President Perry for having all nine of their children attend FAMU. You can say that I bleed orange and green.
I knew that I wanted to be a lawyer at an early age. At the time that I was choosing my undergraduate major, an article appeared in the Tallahassee Democrat on a new field, “agribusiness law.” The stars aligned and I received the Life Gets Better Scholarship and majored in agribusiness.”
What advice do you have for incoming students today?
“My advice for incoming students is they should recognize that a nontraditional path to their ultimate career goal can make them more attractive to graduate schools or employers. For instance, graduate schools are looking for diversity. In my educational and professional life, my agricultural degree set me apart from other candidates. Also, my internships, which included soil sampling in Florida’s citrus groves, provided unique experiences that have assisted me in my legal career.”
What was your favorite course taken within the college and why?
“It is difficult to single out one class. However, I remember Dr. Dave Weatherspoon and Dr. Zacch Olorunnipa, as two of the professors who were essential in guiding us through agribusiness.”
What is your best memory at FAMU?
“My best memory at FAMU was my total experience as a student. One experience, in particular, was the Agricultural Sciences Club winning first place in the Homecoming float competition. Another was attending a conference with Dr. Humphries [Frederick S. Humphries, Ph.D., FAMU’s eighth President] where I made a speech to other HBCU presidents about my internships.
Being a Rattler makes you a part of a family that fills one with school pride and encourages success just like a biological one would. I developed bonds with classmates that continue almost 20 years later.”