Why did you decide to come to the University of Missouri and major in food science and nutrition? What do you enjoy about the program itself? The field of study?
My decision to come to the University of Missouri was a fairly easy one after I visited campus and met with the CAFNR staff. Everyone I met was very friendly and made me feel very welcome. Originally, I was an animal sciences major; however, that was very short-lived when I realized that field was not for me. I quickly switched to hospitality when I discovered that I liked working with people. I found hospitality management as a way to be around people and have each day look different. I really like that the field of hospitality allows me to interact with a wide variety of people and have an impact on people’s day. I really enjoy my professors and how much they care about my success, which is very representative of CAFNR as a whole.
How have you used resources in the CAFNR Academic Programs Office (student services, career services, advising, study abroad)? What was your experience like?
CAFNR provides a lot of student services that I have found very helpful. I meet with my academic advisor regularly to make sure I am taking the best courses to get everything I want out of my time at Mizzou. The hospitality program also provides you with a faculty advisor who is super helpful when figuring out what you want to do within the industry. The CAFNR Office of Academic Programs also puts together a big Career Fair every semester, which can be super helpful to securing internships or meeting with various employers that you may want to work with post-graduation.
CAFNR’s RISE Initiative encourages students to have a variety of extracurricular experiences during their time at Mizzou (Research, International, Service Learning, Experiential Learning). What parts of the RISE initiative have you taken advantage of so far, and which do you plan to? What have you enjoyed about these experiences?
The RISE Initiative is something CAFNR does to promote the hands-on learning approach that is so helpful in many industries. Experiential learning is mainly what I have participated in. The hospitality program requires an internship to graduate, as do many of the other CAFNR degree programs. This helps students get the real-world experience of the industry they have chosen. I will be doing an internship this summer that will be beneficial to my career in the future. I have enjoyed working within the hospitality industry as a student because it allows me to make sure that hospitality is really what I want to pursue.
What has been your favorite activity or experience of being a CAFNR student?
One of my favorite parts of being a CAFNR student is being involved with CAFNR Ambassadors. It allows me to meet with prospective students and tell them about my experiences with MU and the College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources. I feel that it is a unique opportunity to connect with people from all over the country and talk about why they should choose Mizzou. Another favorite of being a CAFNR student is the community atmosphere that has been created within CAFNR. Mizzou is pretty big and being a part of CAFNR makes it seem a little bit smaller.