This past month, I was lucky enough to participate in a virtual presentation with the sixth graders at the Holy Cross Middle School in Champaign for FSHN 329. Due to COVID, this was the first time ever that this event was through Zoom!

The Illini Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow (ACT) chapter at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign was excited to host the 2021 Virtual National Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow Professional Development Conference March 18 and 19.

Seniors in dietetics from the ACES Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition (FSHN) have done it again! Nationally, an average of only 65% of dietetic students matches with a dietetic internship. However, the FSHN dietetics class of 2021 achieved a match rate of 100%, meaning that every senior who applied for a dietetic internship or graduate school was matched with one or accepted. The seniors found out the exciting news on April 5. And this year marks the fifth year in a row that 100% of dietetics seniors were matched!

Join ACES in celebrating the Class of 2021! Through a challenging year, these students have persevered and shown what it means to be part of the ACES family. Here, a few of our graduating seniors share the challenges and successes of their time in ACES, as well as advice for their classmates. 

Winston Wong – Crop Science with a concentration in Plant Biotechnology

Join ACES in celebrating the Class of 2021! Through a challenging year, these students have persevered and shown what it means to be part of the ACES family. Here, a few of our graduating seniors share the challenges and successes of their time in ACES, as well as advice for their classmates.

Ricardo Lopez – Food Science and Human Nutrition/minor in Business

What are you doing after graduation? Master's Program in Food Processing and Engineering.

Join ACES in celebrating the Class of 2021! Through a challenging year, these students have persevered and shown what it means to be part of the ACES family. Here, a few of our graduating seniors share the challenges and successes of their time in ACES, as well as advice for their classmates.

Juhi Shah – Food Science and Human Nutrition major with a concentration in Dietetics/minor in Social Work

I was honored to have been chosen for the Global Food Security internship here at Illinois. This internship was unlike the previous years. COVID-19 has massively changed our lives and impacted our experiences.

In my time as an undergrad at the University of Illinois, I had been searching for opportunities to create a societal impact as I progressed in my education. Being a Global Food Security Intern has allowed me to create an immediate impact while allowing me to comfortably balance other aspects of my life. Increased global food demand paired with a depleting amount of available agricultural resources will only compound the issue of food insecurity.

​For as long as I can remember, I have been incrementally challenging myself where my curiosity can flourish. It led me to explore different career paths and discover my interests and what I want to do day in and day out. While this journey is still taking place, my acceptance into the Global Food Security Internship (GFSI) Program and my internship with the Soybean Innovation Lab (SIL) has allowed me to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

My whole life I have lived in a suburban environment. When my family needed food, there was always a grocery nearby. While I knew that food insecurity was a world crisis, it was not an issue that I had experienced firsthand. I went on to pursue a degree in Agricultural and Biological Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and was fortunate enough to work with the Soybean Innovation Lab (SIL) and Erica Leles on their data team.