Finding My "Family" in the Bluest of Places

"Attention, attention, there is an emergency and you need to exit the building. Attention, attention, there is an emergency and you need to exit the building." 

What a great wake up call on the first full day at UK. Hello, fire alarm …

Welcome to the never dull life as an Resident Advisor (RA is the campus term) living in a residence hall on campus. This is my second semester as an RA, and the job has really grown on me. The first time I was called in the middle of the night, I was for sure that this was a one-year fling. There was a house or apartment in my near future! The semester unfolded and programs went surprisingly well. I got used to being on staff, and none of my girls killed each other. 

 By Christmas, I was still thinking about turning in my RA staff I.D in May until I realized all the relationships that had been created. Not only did I now have an entire staff of best friends, but I also had a whole building of girls who had shared part of their lives with me. 

People say that once you graduate high school, you are on your own completely. What they don’t know is that college is a group effort. Between your roommates helping you stay awake to study for that big test or a professor who pulls you aside because he noticed your grades were slipping to make sure everything was O.K., we rely on so many people to help us through this part of our lives. 

So, final verdict about the job decision; I will be an RA another semester because I have found my adopted family in Donovan Hall. The hardest part about coming to college for me was finding a "family" here in Lexington.  I am luck to have found that in both the College of Agriculture and in my residence hall.  If you ever need some guidance through the process, you can always stop by Donovan where we always have cookies baking and a friendly smile waiting for you at the front desk!

 

Kellie- Class of 2014

Kellie is a sophomore at the University of Kentucky, majoring in Agricultural Economics.  She is from Hodgensville, Kentucky.  She is involved with Block and Bridle,is an RA on campus, and is a sophomore representative on the COA Agriculture Student Council. 

A Semester Made Simple

School has just started back and I feel like I am in the middle of the semester already!  After filling up my planner with test dates and papers to be written I wonder if I will ever be able to keep up, and I know many of you are feeling the same way.  

But no worries!  The UK College of Agriculture has so many people who are here to keep you from feeling overwhelmed.  I am an ambassador for the College of Agriculture and we are always willing to help students keep their heads above water!  School can be very stressful, and as fellow students we have all experienced that stress.  Just take school one week at a time and remember that a planner is a student’s best friend!  Here are some helpful hints from me to you to keep this semester stress-free:

11.      Make sure that you write down all your important due dates. 

22.      Read for class ahead of time!

33.      Start studying when the professor suggests that you start studying, not the night before the exam.

44.      Write outlines for papers and have your professor or TA look them over.  They will give you helpful advice!

55.      Form study groups for classes that you feel are going to give you a hard time.  Even if you usually like to study on your own, other students can help clear up subjects you might not understand.

66.     Don’t pull all-nighters!!  This will not help to keep you stress-free.

77.     Go to class, and then pay attention.

88.     Communicate with your professors.  This shows them that you are a conscientious student and are trying to learn.

99.      Eat healthy balanced meals to keep your strength up!

110. And finally, make time for fun!  You need to balance school and work with time for you.

If you do your best, there is no reason to be stressed.  You did your best and that’s all anyone can ever expect from you!  Have a great semester.

 Marissa K. – Class of 2013     

Marissa is a junior at the University of Kentucky, majoring in Sustainable Agriculture.  She is from Morrow, Ohio.  She is involved with Block and Bridle, UK Women's Choir, Alpha Phi Omega, Student Sustainability Council Representative.

Both Sides of the Fence: Winter Event

Two years ago I remember the excitement that came over me when I attended Winter Event as an incoming freshman. Winter Event is a fun filled weekend for incoming freshman to learn about the College of Agriculture. It is also a time for alumni to get together and witness what is currently going on at their alma mater. There are different activities throughout the weekend where the prospective students have the opportunity to interact with current students and alumni from the College of Agriculture. Students and alumni who attend winter event even get the opportunity to attend a basketball game!

When I decided to attend Winter Event, I was excited to see what UK and especially the College of Agriculture had in store for me. Even though I was a nervous wreck because all of a sudden it was becoming a reality that in a few short months I would be leaving home and starting the next chapter of my life at UK. My major is agriculture education and at Winter Event I enjoyed being able to talk to a professor a little more about the major. I felt like I had a better understanding of what was expected of me come August. I enjoyed Winter Event and I specifically remember the ambassadors being really helpful and answering any questions that were asked of them. 

            This year I had the opportunity to be on the other side of the fence- one of the ambassadors selected to help work Winter Event. It was now my turn to be one of those ambassadors answering everyone’s questions. As I watched the incoming freshman walk in I quickly noticed they had the same look on their faces as I did two years ago.  It made me really excited to be an ambassador and have the opportunity to make their experience a great one.

            Not only is winter event an event for incoming freshman it is also a reunion for AG and HES Alumni. My parents and grandparents are all alumni of the College of Agriculture and they look forward to Winter Event every year. They enjoy getting to reminisce with other alumni from the college. I enjoy seeing everyone interact. It is both fun and interesting for me to hear stories from the alumni about what life was like when they were students in the College of Agriculture. It makes me proud to be a UK student and excited to one day be an alumnus of this wonderful “family” of Ag students!     

Shelby C.,

College of Agriculture Ambassador

Agricultural Education Major

Class of 2014

The Value of an Agricultural Degree

There has been much discussion the past few days about the value and worth of a degree in agriculture.  A popular website ran a piece in its Education section detailing a listing of “useless college degrees.”  Many of our alumni, faculty, staff and students responded with their views on the true worth of a degree in agriculture.  We applaud the agriculture community for coming to the defense of the sector.

Agriculture careers make up one in four jobs in the United States.  As many know, the agriculture industry is as widely diverse as the people in this country.  Nearly every aspect of daily life has a connection to agriculture and it is one of the career tracks where there is always opportunity to adapt.  Reports  like the “Employment Opportunities for College Graduates in Food, Renewable Energy, and the Environment, United States, 2010-2015” (http://www.ag.purdue.edu/usda/employment/pages/default.aspx), put out by the United States Department of Agriculture, paint a different picture than the article in question did yesterday.  At the UK College of Agriculture, 90 percent of our graduates reported they had a full time job, part-time job or were pursuing an advanced degree in the 2010-2011 exit survey.

The University of Kentucky College of Agriculture supports students going to college and earning their degree, whether that be in agriculture, human environmental sciences, or any program in the country.  There has never been a better time for students to step up to the challenges of an increasing world population, economic recovery, or simply to make a difference in their community than now.  Agriculture needs students who can rise to these challenges and commit to making a difference.  Colleges of agriculture around the country are the perfect places for young minds and young leaders to enroll and begin making the difference today.  The jobs are there, as are the opportunities. 

Dr. Scott Smith                                                          Jason Headrick

Dean                                                                          Director of Student Relations

University of Kentucky                                               University of Kentucky

College of Agriculture                                                College of Agriculture

Winter Event tells the tale of UKAg

     Happy New Year to you all!  A new year means a little redesign of our blog appearance.

     Classes start tomorrow and it will be good to once again have students around to fill the hallways with the hustle and bustle of student life.  It's exciting to see the students well rested from their holiday break and ready for another great semester.  Just because it's the beginning of the semester doesn't mean that it's slow around here.  Students are already talking about classes they are taking, conferences and trips they are going to, DanceBlue (UK's 24-hour student ran dance marathon), and maybe even a possible NCAA Championship from both our men and women's basketball teams!

     We've been busy in the College of Agriculture as well.  Our annual Winter Event was over the weekend.  Our Ag & HES Alumni Association did a great job of providing an event for our alumni and friends to gather and celebrate the many good programs and accomplishments of the College and other fellow alumni.  President Capilouto stopped by to bring greetings and also took time to meet with some of our admitted students for Fall 2012 who were at the event.

     Speaking of these prospective/ admitted students, we were proud to host 41 students and their families over the course of the weekend here at UKAg.  We invited admitted students back in December and these families came to campus for what we hope was a good and informative time.  I know we had a great time with them.  These students were from Kentucky, Illinois, Georgia, Ohio and Tennessee and all of them brought a passion for their intended major and for learning more about UK.

      The students met with faculty members representing our undergraduate programs, learned about scholarships (the deadline is January 15th for College of Agriculture freshman scholarships), financial aid, housing, our College's Turner Leadership Academy, the process behind advising conferences and about our Agriculture Residential College.  Our student ambassadors took them on a tour and then they came back to a portion of the program we call, "The First Lecture Series."  A few of our always excellent faculty members presented snippets of their research and work to the students to give them a preview about topics and experiences they might encounter while being a student at UK.  Dr. Mark Williams discussed sustainability and our sustainable agriculture program.  Dr. David Williams talked about green energy and the impact that a few projects UK is working on could be in the long run for bioenergy.  Finally, Dr. Lori Garkovich talked about building community and what that means across the spectrum. 

     Our campus guests got to eat a great dinner with our Ag & HES Alumni Association board and some of our administrators.  This is always a great networking opportunity for the students and the alumni.  I hope everyone enjoyed the Kentucky bourbon bread pudding as much as I did.

The Parent Session at Winter Event

     Aside from the Winter Event meal and the Wildcat win in the basketball game, my favorite part of the program is what happens on the morning of day two of our admitted student program.  We have Parent/Student sessions and we separate the two groups from one another.  The first hour I spent with the parents while our student ambassadors were with the students- and then the ambassadors and I switch.  Why do I like this part so much?  It's great to hear the questions that the two groups ask without one another.  The don't have to worry about embarrassing their child with questions about safety or classes, and the students don't have to worry about wanting to learn more about social life and how to balance newfound freedom. 

     This has always been one of my favorite events to host in the College.  I like how these students come together to learn more about UK and leave with a greater sense of what it means to be a Wildcat from all levels: a student, a faculty or staff member and an alumni of the Big Blue Nation.  I've seen roommates, boyfriends/girlfriends, and great UK connections form from this program.  If you think about it, it's pretty telling of what your experience here at UK in the College of Agriculture will be.  A great education in a great environment with great people. 
     And that's a great way to start the new year. I can't imAGine a better way.

Jason Headrick, '02
Director of Student Relations

Special Thanks to Kelli Long for her blog header design!