Each week, we showcase one of our CAHNRS Ambassadors, a student leadership organization that encourages students to pursue higher education and serves as a liaison between the college and the greater community. This week, we’re featuring Gracie Dickerson, a junior from St. John, Wash.
What are you studying?
I’m majoring in Agricultural and Food Business Economics.
Favorite Show/Movie:
The Office
Favorite Cougar Tradition:
Tailgating for home football games. Is there anything better than waking up Saturday morning, seeing crimson and gray flood the parking lots of Pullman, and the comfort of knowing everyone is there to cheer on the Cougs? At tailgates, I love the camaraderie and togetherness, the feeling that win-or-lose, we are all there to support one team, one college, and one big family. To me, that is when Coug spirit is on full display.
Favorite CAHNRS Commodity:
Cougar Tracks Ice Cream. Vanilla ice cream, fudge swirl, and peanut butter cups? The only thing that could make this ice cream better is if it were made with milk from the university’s own student run dairy farm. Oh wait- it is! It’s a chance to enjoy a delicious treat while supporting the very people I go to class with!
Why be a CAHNRS Coug?
The worldwide connections. Being a CAHNRS Coug means connection. Sharing a passion for improving quality of life, enhancing ecological and environmental systems, and advancing agricultural science connects me with all future and past CAHNRS Cougs. There is a personal network that puts others first and wants success for one another. And there is a professional network that loves hiring CAHNRS Cougs worldwide in a variety of industries. Being a CAHNRS Coug means you have a system of students, faculty, and alumni that connect you with your dreams.
Best Student Experience:
During my freshman year at WSU, I was chosen to be a part of an undergraduate research program called Ignite. Ignite opened the door for me to partake in undergraduate research related to my major. My research was in bovine nutrition and better prepared me to serve the inland northwest agricultural sector by helping producers increase their production and efficiency in a sustainable, cost-effective manner. I learned lab skills and data collection and improved my ability to relate information to both producers and people in academia. This position with Ignite led to another CAHNRS research position working with bovine genetics and agricultural economics. Both experiences have prepared me for a career following my passion and serving the local agricultural sector. I highly recommend incoming CAHNRS students to get involved with research.
CAHNRS Taught Me:
Washington State University has pushed me to personally and professionally prepare myself for a career in agriculture. As a CAHNRS student, I interact with knowledgeable professors and industry professionals, which helps me apply my university education to real-world situations. It is not all about grades and test scores. I appreciate how CAHNRS recognizes the need to expand skills that employers seek, like communication and problem-solving capabilities. CAHNRS focuses on generating well-rounded students that will improve the human, natural, and agricultural domains.