Hometown/Current Location: Rosamond, IL

UIS Degree: 2009 graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Anthropology

Current Position: Herd Manager for Clavin Dairy Farms Inc.

How did your UIS education prepare you for your career?

I came back to my roots. I grew up on a dairy farm and continue along that path. I feel it helped me to think outside the box, which I believe is very important as a woman working in a man’s field.

What was your overall UIS experience like?

I enjoyed UIS. Being close to home and family was very important to me after serving in the military overseas, so attending UIS was an easy choice.

What are your best memories of UIS?

For our women’s rights class our professor asked us to do something out of the norm and see how people respond. I went and told my family that when I got married I did not want to take my husband’s last name. I was told by a great Aunt, “You will change your mind.” I did in fact change my mind. But that was because of my children. But just thinking about things differently and challenging the norm. Not just settling for something because “that’s the way we have always done it

What life lesson would you like to share with current students?

Be involved. Make connections, you never know where they will take you. Take risks, you can’t gain if you don’t take a risk