"Critical and Creative Thinking in Life Sciences” was one of my first steps toward "career and self-development.” This class encouraged me to investigate many topics in science and exposed me to the various majors in the life sciences department. One of the assignments challenged me to analyze the causes of Alzheimer's disease and analyze research related to treatment outcomes. My interest in a career in medicine was sparked.

Taking steps toward working in a medical or healthcare setting, I completed courses in Human Anatomy and Physiology (Bio 240 and 245). Learning the anatomical structures and terminology relevant to the human body was very interesting to me. The knowledge I gained will be useful as it underlines the importance of food production for human use and benefit.

I worked as a Physical Therapy Aide and enjoyed working with patients in different hospital departments including acute care and rehab. I also completed coursework to become a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). These experiences in healthcare were valuable as I was still trying to decide what type of career I wanted to pursue.

My internship at BASF exposed me to many real-world situations where I could develop professionally. The tasks and projects assigned to me expanded my knowledge of the agriculture field and allowed me to make connections at a top company in the industry. One of the projects tasked me with improving the customer experience of BASF retailers.