I have wanted to travel to Africa since I was 14 years old, and this past winter break I was able to finally fulfill that dream. I traveled to Sierra Leone, where I, and nine other students, did work with the World Fish Foundation, educating farmers about how to grow their fisheries and supply better fish to customers and their families. This tied in with the nutritional aspect of the trip, which was focused on educating farmers and villagers about the importance of adequate protein intake.

When I joined HDFS, I wanted to explore all that the major had to offer, especially in terms of working with faculty. I read up on our professors, their research, and the opportunities they presented to undergraduates. After reaching out to some of these professors, I was lucky enough to join the Healthy Experiences Across Relationship Transitions (HEART) Lab with Dr. Brian Ogolsky.

I had the amazing opportunity to spend four and a half months in the Netherlands this past spring semester. I studied at Wageningen University, a school dedicated to educating its students about environmental health and sustainability. I decided to study abroad at this university because it is a prestigious school in the field of environmental science, which also happens to be my major. Throughout my adventure, I had the opportunity to grow both as an individual and as a professional in my career field.

Since October 2019, I’ve performed undergraduate research in Dr. Helferich’s Lab, earning credit for FSHN 295. During my time in the lab, I’ve gained practical knowledge extremely important to food scientists ranging from the handling of mouse tissue all the way to conducting proper protein assays.

Working in Dr. Shardé Smith’s lab with C-HeARTS (Community Healing and Resistance Through Storytelling) has expanded the idea of home and given me a bigger village in the Champaign-Urbana community, which I have grown to love, that supports me on my academic journey.

My project has allowed me to be actively engaged in the community while still having ties to the university. The goal is to bridge the gap between these two entities.

This past summer, Dr. Prescott and her research team in Food Science and Human Nutrition conducted a study titled Time for Lunch, which studied the impact of school lunchtime constraints on dietary food behaviors among children participating in summer camps held on campus.

Going to Zimbabwe was one of the most impactful experiences I have had in my college career. The trip brought nearly complete cultural immersion while also maintaining a specific service objective. I was fortunate enough to have had an extensive academic background to support our goals during the trip. As a Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) major, many of my classes have been focused around public health.

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend the National Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow (NACT) Professional Development Conference in Kansas City, Missouri. I, as well as a few other members and officers from our ACT chapter, benefitted from this experience and gained a lot of new knowledge to take back to our chapter. We were able to tour a lot of cool places in the surrounding Kansas City area, attend workshops, and network with industry professionals to learn more about their experiences within the agricultural communications industry.

Being involved in research as an undergraduate has been an important part of my college experience. It has helped to further my understanding not only of scientific research, but also of myself and what I’d like to pursue in the future. During my freshman year, I was part of the IGNITE Undergraduate Research Program, which matched me with a research lab on campus based on my personal study interests. While I was initially intimidated, the wonderful and patient people at Dr. Hind’s lab quickly made me feel like a welcome and contributing part of the team. 

As a graduating senior from the financial planning program at the college of ACES, I have had a lot of career opportunities offered by the program over the years. Around this time of December, before the semester ends, we always have a Financial Planning Day tailored to students who are looking for job opportunities in the financial planning industry. This year, I had the chance to attend Financial Planning Day at Lodgic Everyday Community, and it was an unforgettable experience.