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Lane Simpson, a junior in Technical Systems Management who grew up with a farm background in Yale, Illinois, has always had a passion for working with agricultural equipment.
“I love operating equipment and working on it while learning more about its functions. I also enjoy communicating with others to solve issues and keeping their downtime to a minimum,” Lane says. “Being in Technical Systems Management, I get the best of both worlds. I see the technical side of things by understanding how systems work while also managing these systems and helping others.”
Frank Gonzales is a junior in Agricultural and Consumer Economics with a concentration in Finance. Fascinated by the flexibility of his specialization, Gonzales says his knowledge in Agribusiness opens up a variety of career paths.
Gionté Mason, a sophomore in Human Nutrition, is a research assistant for the Renal and Cardiovascular Disease Lab and philanthropy chair for Alpha Epsilon Delta (AED), a pre-health honorary society.
A former Biology major, Mason felt he wasn’t fully engaged in his interests in that major. “I was looking for something more applicable because I'm premed, and I like to be more hands-on.” Mason already sees the benefits of having switched to Human Nutrition. “I didn't have good nutrition at all, and I've been able to see the difference.”
Kaity Spangler’s dedication to the FFA blue and gold did not end when she graduated high school. She brought her passion along on her journey to the University of Illinois as an agricultural education student.
Jazmine Williams came to the University of Illinois with her mind set on a goal to make America healthier. She used this goal to mold her path as a food science and human nutrition major. Now a senior, Jazmine keeps her sights set on improving the food industry.
“I knew my purpose, and that was to make America healthier. Fast-forward four years later, I still have that goal in mind. My long-term goal is to work for the Food and Drug Administration, modifying and improving regulations,” she says.
Faith Thomas, a senior in the Department of Animal Sciences, has been a part of many different extracurricular activities and work experiences on campus.
As an undergraduate research assistant in Sharon Donovan’s nutrition laboratory, Faith cares for the animals during piglet studies, works with histology slides in the lab, and is learning scientific techniques like DNA isolation.
Faith says her involvement in animal sciences at Illinois has provided her many opportunities and has opened her eyes to a multitude of paths.
Eli Clausen’s greatest joy is transforming some of a person’s worst days into a happy ending. To make that possible as a successful insurance claims associate, Eli says, you need qualities such as critical thinking, empathy, and flexibility.
Eli credits Illinois and the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics with providing him the skills needed to be an effective claims associate.
Working with customers and others at Thrushwood Farms to bring ideas and concepts to market is one of the favorite tasks for vice president of operations Doug Hankes, an animal sciences graduate. He enjoys working with employees to create great products, starting with the concept and moving on to packaging and marketing to customers.
Creating new products and managing their production and development can be demanding. Doug believes that traits he learned as a child have helped him succeed.
Natural resources and environmental sciences (NRES) graduate Isabel Zacharczuk finds it very cool to have the flexibility to play two different roles in her job as a jurisdictional compliance coordinator and health, safety, and environment (HSE) consultant for ESIS, Inc. She is able to use her environmental degree, but she also puts her communication skills to work with clients.
Blake always aspired to find a job in agriculture. His current role with Verdant lets him combine his agriculture background and financial education in a small setting with the ability to have a large global impact.