Steve Naranjo, Ph.D. (left), and colleague Peter Ellsworth, Ph.D., sample sweetpotato whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci), also sometimes known as silverleaf whiteflies, in a cotton field. Naranjo and his sister were the first in their extended family to graduate from college. He went on to earn a master’s and doctorate in entomology, and he eventually become director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) Arid Land Agricultural Research Center in Maricopa, Arizona. Naranjo says, “My father cried when I told him I had become the center director. It was pretty touching.” He actively encourages Hispanic students and others in underrepresented groups to likewise pursue entomology and science as a highly rewarding career. (Photo credit: USDA-ARS)