Road Trip!

In case anybody is curious, the drive between Lexington, Kentucky and Champaign, Illinois is not short.  To make matters more interesting, my anticipated route was hindered by closed roads in Louisville, the possibility of epic traffic jams in Indianapolis because of the Superbowl, and rainy weather.  Although I was excited about being in Champaign over the weekend, I was not looking forward to the drive up. 

Thank goodness for a great friend who accompanied me on my drive!  Even in the rainy conditions and occasional traffic, we had fun on our miniature quest.  Our trip was marked by continuous conversation, a relatively painless pass through Indianapolis during the Superbowl (which was pretty cool), humored disbelief that every radio station seemed to be playing the same three songs over and over, and apartment hunting in Champaign.  Yikes!  It is hard to believe that graduation and graduate school are just a few months away!

Carrie & her fellow ambassadors prepare to throw out footballs during Roundup

As graduation in May approaches and my time as a Wildcat draws to a close, I have had some time to reflect upon the four years I have spent at the University of Kentucky.  When I was in high school, I knew I wanted to complete my undergraduate degree, to go on to either graduate school or a professional program, and to do a really good job in my classes.  These goals remained relatively unchanged over the course of my undergraduate studies, even in the face of obstacles such as diabolical classes that made me wonder if I was going to lose my sanity before I graduated from UK.  Yet, as a high school student I did not consider how much I would enjoy college.  The trip my friend and I made last weekend provides an excellent example of one of the things I enjoy most: spending time with friends and having a blast.

College is a great opportunity for many reasons.  As a student in the UK College of Agriculture, I love how my professors devote themselves to the education of their students, that there are plenty of opportunities to be involved in undergraduate research, that I have been able to travel all over the United States, that there are numerous extracurricular activities in which students can participate, and that I have met so many amazing people.  Ultimately, college is an exciting training and transition period between high school and a career.

So, in many ways, college is like a road trip.  You have to know where you are starting at, where you want to go, and the route you want to take.  When you are starting out, it may seem like a long ride to your final destination.  You may even encounter traffic jams and road blocks along the way.  But, I think most students agree that college is a fun and rewarding journey.  

Carrie is a senior at the University of Kentucky, majoring in Horticulture, Plant & Soil Sciences.  She is from Princeton, Kentucky.  She is involved with  the COA Agriculture Student Council, and post graduation, she will be attending graduate school in plant breeding and genetics.