Where has the time gone?

As many other students are experiencing right now, this is my last semester as an undergraduate student!  I have been at the University of Kentucky for four years now, and I have loved every minute of it.  I have made many wonderful, lifelong friends and had experiences that I’ll never forget.  While being in college I had the experience to travel to Florida with the College of Agriculture Ambassadors for a leadership summit, I traveled to Wisconsin and Illinois with my Sustainable Agriculture capstone class, and with the Women’s Choir I sang in England, Wales and Ireland.  

Marissa in Ireland with UK Women's Choir.

As this semester is already half way over, I keep thinking that all of my fellow graduating seniors each have to make a choice about what they are going to do after commencement on May 5.  Some, like me, are going to graduate school.  Some may go straight into the work force and already have jobs lined up.  And some have no idea what they want to do.  Whatever we all decide to do, we know that we have had the best time and met the best people.

I have decided to go to the University of Kentucky for graduate school to pursue a master’s degree in Human Nutrition.  I am very excited about this opportunity and to learn about how what we eat affects our health.  I would love to pair my undergraduate degree of Sustainable Agriculture with a nutrition degree so that I can help educate people not only on how their food is grown but how their food can affect different aspects of their bodies.  I decided to go to graduate school to pursue this dream, as well as to give myself more opportunities in the job field.  The two degrees that I will have will not only complement each other, but diversify my areas of knowledge.

Students who are just starting out their college experience are thinking that they have forever in college to take advantage of opportunities and figure out what they are going to do.  My advice is that you don’t have forever.  These four years go faster than you can even imagine, so you need to start now!  

- Marissa is a senior from Morrow, Ohio.  She is graduating in May with a individualized bachelors of science curriculum in Sustainable Agriculture.  

If Someone Had Told Me...

If someone had told me as a freshman/sophomore in high school that after I graduated I would be a part of the University of Kentucky’s College of Agriculture, I would have probably given you a very amusing look. Although I have spent all my life in a big agricultural area, I’ve never really thought of myself as the “ag type.” I’ve always seen myself as a math/science nerd. In high school, I wasn’t a part of the FFA.  Instead, I was on the robotics team. I took AP Calc and Chem. The only “pharm work” I’ve done was as a pharmacy technician in a pharmacy because my long-term goal for quite a long time has been to become a pharmacist. So how did I end up here as a freshman in the College of Agriculture?                                                                   

            The simple answer: "seeblue." Preview Night.

             I spent a lot of time my junior year of high school researching different colleges. I went on visits, searched the internet, and went to as many preview nights as I could fit into my schedule. I found that not only are the various recruiting events a great way to get lots of freebies, they also let you get a basic understanding of the school itself and are a great resource for advice on all things “college.” UK’s “seeblue.” Preview Night for my area was no exception for me. It was at this event I was introduced to the opportunities the College of Ag held for me. I learned that night that there is no defined, definite, “you must major in this” commandment to get into pharmacy school. A person could major in anything as long as the pre-requisites for the pharmacy school were met before applying, that there were some majors offered in the College of Ag that met those pre-reqs, and that the College of Ag has many scholarships available for their majors. For me, the choice was Human Nutrition.

                I knew going into pharmacy I didn’t want to be a “typical” major one would associate with pharmacy.  I knew I wanted a major that would set me a part in a way, but still be closely related to my interests. I also didn’t like the idea of a “lab-based” kind of major either. I wanted to be able to relate more to people and everyday life. I wanted something I could see in action every day, something I could easily associate with, not just read about in a book, or experiment on in a lab. Human Nutrition provides this to me. I also feel I can get a lot more individual attention and support from the staff in the College of Ag than would be possible in a larger college on campus. Plus, there was that free basketball ticket I got for attending Wildcat Winter Weekend back in January, which definitely didn’t hurt.

                Being in the College of Ag so far has been great for me. I’m still deciding which of the many ways to get involved I want to try. I really make sure I’m not just “in” the College of Ag, but “a part” of the College of Ag. At the first official College Meeting during K-Week, I was introduced to many interesting organizations and clubs that provided unique opportunities. I guess this is where all the time management skills come into place. I can only wonder what my future here at UK will hold, but I may soon discover that when I “bleed blue,” it’s actually UK Plaid.  

Martika is from Eubank, Kentucky, and is a freshman majoring in Human Nutrition with a Pre-Pharmacy interest.  She is also involved in the Honors Program, the Healthcare Living Learning Program and a Coordinator for Young at Heart in the Center of Community Outreach.