Question: What do you get when you cross agriculture and United States Presidents?

Answer: Our country's history!
 It’s President’s Day.  Did you know that a great number of our Presidents have an agriculture background? George Washington, the first President of the United States of America, had a large tobacco plantation.  Right here in Lexington we house the estate and farmland of the greatest man to never become President, Henry Clay. Thomas Jefferson owned the famed Monticello plantation. Who can forget about the peanut farmer from Plains, Georgia, Jimmy Carter! And while an education from the UK College of Agriculture cannot guarantee you’ll become President, it can definitely set the stage for a bright a future. 

Agriculture has moved in leaps and bounds from the traditional “plows, sows, and cows.” Before writing agriculture off, I would suggest you take a second look at the College of Ag at UK! UK Ag houses not only the traditional Ag majors- animal science, horticulture, equine science, etc.- but a variety of non-traditional agriculture majors as well. We have the School of Human and Environmental Sciences which is home to Human Nutrition, Dietetics, Family Science, and  Merchandising, Apparel, and Textiles.  I bet you never expected to find Merchandising, Apparel, and Textiles in the College of Ag; but that is what’s so great about us- our variety! Our College of Ag graduates go on to become buyers for major retail chains (Merchandising, Apparel, and Textiles majors), family counselors, heads of non-profits, prominent Ag economists, lawyers, doctors, pharmacists and so much more! 

We are still waiting for a graduate to become President, so you might even set your sights on that! Speaking of, Community Communications and Leadership Development (CLD for short) would be a great starting point for presidential aspirations. This is my major, so I’m a little partial, but we study what makes communities work and how to not only lead yourself, but others! Leadership is a crucial skill in our ever growing and changing workforce, and I feel confident that the leadership training I have received as part of my undergraduate degree will help me in all aspects of my life- not just my career path. 

While I don’t want to be president, I do want to make an impact. On campus I’ve been involved in various student groups and some of my favorite activities have centered around leadership. I participate in the Turner Leadership Academy, a leadership development program in which you actually graduate with a certificate in Leadership- pretty cool and it is open to all College of Ag majors! I also have attended UK Leadership Summit and served as a peer facilitator for Summit. Summit brings all of the student leaders across campus together at a retreat and we discuss how we can make a positive impact in the UK community. 

Community service also has a big place in my heart and I love that it goes hand in hand with my major. In my personal leadership development class at UK, taught by a student favorite, Grace Gorrell, we were required to do a community service project as a group. This not only taught us teamwork, but the true value of servant leadership and serving others. I spend time off campus volunteering at  my church with the homeless community, as well as with Alzheimer's and dementia families. I look forward to integrating my love of leadership and community service into all of my future endeavors. After I graduate, while I do not plan on moving into the White House, I will be working on a campaign. Politics and the College of Ag? Like I said, we are full of variety! 

So whether you know that you want to major in Ag from the start, or you think the College of Ag is just not for you- come check us out anyway! Chances are we have more opportunities than you had ever thought about! 

To check out all of our majors, visit the UK College of Agriculture page!

  

Tatum is a senior at the University of Kentucky, majoring in Community Communications & Leadership Development.  She is from Murray, Kentucky in Calloway County.  She is involved across campus with Alpha Phi, UK College Republicans, COA Agriculture Ambassadors and plans to work on a political campaign upon graduation.   

How I Picked My Major

          How can you be sure that you’ve picked the right major?  It’s hard to know what you should study when you’re not quite sure what you want to do with your life after college just yet.  If you’re in the right major, you’ll definitely figure it out within the first two semesters.  

          Here are a few clues:

1.       You will think that most of the material you’re learning in your classes is really interesting.

2.       You will probably have a lot of common interests with other students in your major.

3.        As you find out all of the different career paths that your major could lead to, you should be able to picture yourself doing some of them, and enjoying it.

When I first transferred to UK, I had three different majors I was looking into, and I thought they all looked really interesting.  But I’ve never had to worry about whether I made the right choice- I know that I did.  It’s really simple; I’ve made a lot of friends, my professors have been really inspiring, I’ve liked the majority of my classes, and I’ve learned a lot. 

As a Natural Resources & Environmental Science major, I’ve gotten to take a lot of really awesome field trips and explore areas of Fayette County and Kentucky that I might never have experienced.  Since being outside is one of the criteria I have for my future career, I know this is the major for me because my classes take me there.  I’ve been to Mammoth Cave National Park, Robinson Forest, Griffith Woods, the Cincinnati Zoo, McConnell Springs, Tom Dorman State Nature Preserve, the Arboretum, and so many more.  Plus, I’ve done all kinds of awesome experiments and projects through my classes and labs.  Just Monday I got to dissect a pigeon for my Ornithology class.

Although my major isn’t for everyone, I know that everyone should be just as excited about their major as I am about mine.  The most important thing is that you’re picking a career field where you will be challenged, but also one that you will be passionate about. 

  

Sandy is a senior at the University of Kentucky, majoring in Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences.  She is from Guston, Kentucky in Meade County.  She is involved with the COA Agriculture Ambassadors, undergraduate research, and post graduation, she is considering graduate school. She and her husband now live in Lexington. 

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.