Year in school (and/or when you expect to graduate): Junior, Graduating Spring 2021
Hometown: Appleton, WI (Kimberly High School)
Why are you pursuing degrees in both of your areas? Why did you add the second one (if you did)?
I chose to pursue both degrees because I couldn’t picture my future without either degree in it. From a young age I have had a love for both the dairy industry as well as computers and technology. Pursuing a double major in both of these areas opens doors for me to have a career that will combine two important areas of my life. I chose to add Computer Science as an additional major because I wanted to have the ability to work in the technology industry in the future. I realized that I would have the greatest opportunities in my future by having the knowledge from both majors so I chose to pursue an additional major.
Which major came first? Or did you decide to pursue them both at the same time?|
My first major was Dairy Science; I officially declared my double major Spring 2019.
How do the two work together?
The dairy industry is becoming more and more technology/data driven. With a shortage of reliable labor coupled with an increasing demand for high quality food, there is a need to embrace technology within farming. The combination of these two majors allows me to have an understanding of what is going on at a farm and the decisions that need to be made, while also having an understanding of the technology that will help to increase efficiency on farms. In the future I hope to be able to bridge the gap between farmers and technology to help make the technology as useful as possible.
Do you have career plans? If so, how do you think these two degrees will help you in the future?
My plan is to work for a company that is involved with implementing technology on farms. Each degree will give me a greater depth of understanding in each area that I would not be able to attain without pursuing two separate majors. I believe that having in depth understandings of the dairy industry as well as the technology being implemented will allow me to excel in this area.
Has it been difficult to get classes for both majors? And/or to finish on time?
To this point I have not had any issues getting classes for either major. Scheduling is sometimes difficult, however, because with a small major such as Dairy Science, there is typically only one section offered for each class which can create issues if computer science classes are offered at the same time. I am currently on track to finish in four years as long as no scheduling conflicts occur.