Back in May, student Veronica Casey was thrilled to learn she had received an undergraduate summer research fellowship from the American Society for Plant Biologists (ASPB-SURF) to fund her research project on the spread of copper resistance by bacterial pathogens of tomato and pepper plants.

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. – Aesop

People may often hear those working in philanthropy saying, “No gift is too small.” As trite as Aesop’s quote and a fundraiser’s conviction might sound, this time of year reminds us all efforts do make a difference.

My name is Madison Mitchell and I am from Mahomet, IL. For those of you who are familiar with the Champaign-Urbana area and know Mahomet is 15 miles west of campus, you may be wondering why I chose to attend a school practically in my backyard. Here are a few of the “whys” that were pretty influential: The 15:1 Student/Faculty Ratio, $3.5M dollars awarded in ACES Scholarships, 80% participation rate in experiential learning, a 77% four-year graduation rate, 94% employed or continuing graduation, and having 7 family members graduate from the College of ACES before me.

In 2014, I walked through the University of Illinois campus for the first time. While here, my 14-year-old self took a silly photo next to a pile of trash (pictured above). Little did I know this would foreshadow what was in store for me just a few years down the road. In sharing my “trash” journey, I hope to provide a few words of wisdom and inspire my fellow students to take action on campus.

Tip #1: Get involved on campus!

March 2020 is imprinted clearly in my mind. I was on edge because I was the last of my friends from home who found out how my school was going to handle the COVID-19 situation after spring break. I remember thinking, “There’s no way the school is going to cancel in-person classes for the entire semester.” As cases began to rise and everyone collectively realized how serious this virus was, however, it became increasingly clear that school would not be able to resume normally after spring break.

For 10 years I have tried to visit the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Palmira, Colombia, yet it still eludes me. Who would’ve thought a global pandemic would be the latest obstacle to my desire?

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