Edwin Lewis and his father, Edgar, have a lot in common. Both are economists and both work for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In fact, Edgar Lewis is a 36-year veteran of the Rural Business-Cooperative Service and the Economic Research Service. Both father and son graduated from Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA, majoring in agricultural economics.

But there are differences, too.

"I grew up in Prince George's County, MD, which I think of as a very urban area," said Lewis. "My father grew up in Louisiana on a farm."

Lewis said his father was a strong mentor to him and influenced his decision to pursue a degree in agricultural economics, a major that suited his talent with numbers and analysis. "I fell in love with it," Lewis recalled.

Lewis chose a career with USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service in part because he saw U.S. agriculture as much more than farming, it was a place where the economic analysis he enjoyed doing could be turned into a meaningful career. In fact, U.S. agriculture is a global industry with over $50 billion in exports alone, requiring the skills of marketers, economists, and international trade specialists.

Lewis earned a master’s degree at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). He then became an extension agent for USDA's Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service in Petersburg, VA. One year later he joined FAS.

"As an agent, I worked in community development, but my classes in international development and economics made me realize the global interdependence that goes beyond the local and state levels. What happens in the world marketplace will affect what happens at home," he said. "It's the international focus of FAS that really excited me."

Lewis began in FAS' summer internship program, converted to the agency's work-study plan, the Student Career Experience Program, and later became a full-time employee as a agricultural economist.

Lewis demonstrated his flexibility during the 2 years he worked as an intern and then as a Student Career Experience Program employee. He was hired by FAS' Office of Civil Rights and used his skills with statistics and analysis to help track workforce diversity at the agency. He also did a survey and analysis on job satisfaction and quality of life of FAS employees, taking the project from proposal to presenting findings.

"I interned with Mae Johnson in the Civil Rights Office," he said. "Mae was my mentor and I developed contacts by giving presentations to managers and administrators, which allowed me to showcase my skills."