Alicia Bellisario

Year: Senior
Major: Family & Consumer Sciences Education
Hometown: Darien, IL
E-mail: abellisa@purdue.edu

What is your dream job?

I really love to cook and bake, and I enjoy teaching others how to do so as well. For that reason, my dream job is to teach all Nutrition and Wellness and Culinary Arts classes at a high school. It is also a dream of mine to attend culinary arts school after a few years of teaching.

Jessica Borst

Year: Senior
Major: Dietetics
Hometown: Highland, IN
E-mail: jrborst@purdue.edu  

What is your dream job?

My dream job would be to work in a hospital in Chicago. I want to work in the ICU where good nutrition is vital to recovery. I hope to use my knowledge of dietetics to help critical patients recover through nutrition support.

Carla Brioni

Year: Senior
Major: Nursing
Hometown: Vernon Hills, IL
E-mail: cbrioni@purdue.edu 

What will you miss about Purdue when you graduate?

The thing that I will miss the most about Purdue when I graduate is the friendships that I have made. From living in the dorms to all the nursing organizations that I have participated in, I have met a lot of great people that have impacted my life.

Natalie Buchs

Year: Junior
Major: Dietetics, Nutrition, Fitness & Health
Hometown: Waterloo, IN
E-mail: nbuchs@purdue.edu

What did you learn from your study abroad adventure?

While studying abroad I learned how capable I am to take a big step on my own. I was successful in moving to a foreign country and navigating my way around a different culture; before going to Dublin I wouldn't have thought this was possible. Now, after returning from the experience, I have a new found confidence that anything is possible.

Susan Choe

Year: Junior
Major: General Health Sciences
Hometown: Vernon Hills, IL
E-mail: choes@purdue.edu

What is your favorite class?

Christina Citta

Year: Junior
Major: Early Childhood Education/Early Intervention
Hometown: Bartlett, IL
E-mail: cccitta@purdue.edu

What is your favorite class?

I don't have a favorite class as much as a favorite time in my studies. Now that I am a Junior all of my classes directly pertain to my major and what I want to do in life. I love working with children and this semester all of my classes are centered around working with children and I have two practicum classes where I am actually in the classroom working.

Schane Coker

Year: Senior
Major: Financial Counseling & Planning
Hometown: Lafayette, IN
E-mail: scoker@purdue.edu  

What did you learn from your study abroad adventure?

I actually learned two life lessons from my travels abroad the first being that as Americans, as worldly and open-minded as we say we are, we're not even close. I met and talked with individuals, even as young as I was, that had been to three or more different countries and had plans on exploring others. The other lesson I learned was that sometimes communication barriers we face when talking with others from a different culture or society are the ones that we've subconsciously put up ourselves, but they can be torn down as easily as they were put up.

Linda Ding

Year: Junior
Major: Hospitality & Tourism Management
Hometown: Pendleton, IN
E-mail: yding@purdue.edu

Why did you choose to attend Purdue?

Jessica Dogert

Year: Junior
Major: Dietetics, Nutrition, Fitness & Health
Hometown: Orland Park, IL
E-mail: jdogert@purdue.edu

What did you find beneficial about your internship?

This past summer I had an internship with Advocate Christ Hospital as a Food Service Aide helping the registered dietitians. I had two primary jobs: being a menu processor and working in the diet office inputting certain diets, allergies, baby bottle formulas, etc. The experience from this internship has reassured me that getting into the health field is for me. Getting to know my co-workers and learning about their journey has also been very beneficial.

Laurel Donaldson

Year: Junior
Major: Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences
Hometown: Geneseo, IL
E-mail: donaldsl@purdue.edu 

What is the most fun activity you've done at Purdue?

For me, being involved in Purdue's All-American Marching Band has definitely been the most fun experience. I've been able to experience Purdue tradition in a very tangible way, and the sense of community with the band means it's always a fun time!

Betsy Eagin

Year: Senior
Major: General Health Sciences
Hometown: Spring Lake, MI
E-mail: beagin@purdue.edu 

What did you learn from your study abroad adventure?

My study abroad experience was amazing. Visiting hospital and healthcare facilities in India, Thailand and Cambodia helped to assure me that my plan of study really was right for me; but more importantly, it taught me more in those three weeks than I could have ever learned in a classroom. The experience of seeing what I had been studying made it all "real" and was extremely gratifying but also eye-opening. It truly was the trip of a lifetime!

Morgan Emery

Year: Senior
Major: Nursing
Hometown: New Harmony, IL
E-mail: memery@purdue.edu

What did you find beneficial about your internship?

The most beneficial thing about my internship in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Mayo Clinic was the hands-on experience. At the end of my experience, I felt like a real nurse and was excited to take everything I learned back to Purdue for my last year of my nursing education.

Megan Finger

Year: Sophomore
Major: Hospitality & Tourism Management
Hometown: Fort Wayne, IN
E-mail: finger@purdue.edu  

What advice do you have for a first year student?

Advice I would give to a first year student is to get involved. This can be anything, from clubs relating to your major or groups within your residence halls and sports.

Tori Fread

Year: Senior
Major: Human Services
Hometown: Noblesville, IN
E-mail: vfread@purdue.edu 

What is your dream job?

My dream job would be to work with college students or young adults. It is an age group that I really enjoy being around and would love to interact with them through counseling and/or mentoring situations. I would ideally be a part of the mission field in some way as well!

Ashley Hardy

Year: Senior
Major: Apparel Design & Technology
Hometown: Elkhart, IN
E-mail: hardya@purdue.edu

What did you find beneficial about your internship?

What I learned regarding sourcing, dealing with suppliers, and the "street smarts" of the industry was most beneficial. Experiences like that aren't taught in school.

Krista Hensley

Year: Senior
Major: Nursing
Hometown: Pendleton, IN
E-mail: kghensle@purdue.edu 

What is your dream job?

My dream job would be to work as a family nurse practitioner and use those skills not only to work with patients and their families, but also to do aid work abroad.

Elizabeth Hoffa

Year: Senior
Major: Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences
Hometown: Carmel, IN
E-mail: ehoffa@purdue.edu  

What is your favorite class?

My favorite class that I have taken at Purdue would have to be Introduction to Educational Research Methods. With only four other students in the class, we were able to design a successful research project and carry it out start to finish. Our results have been sent to a review board for publication. I learned very valuable information about experimental design that has helped me in most of my other classes making them more enjoyable.

Carmen Huffman

Year: Sophomore
Major: Hospitality & Tourism Management
Hometown: Muncie, IN
E-mail: chuffma@purdue.edu  

What should a prospective student know about Purdue?

Purdue is a large campus that is full of opportunities. Therefore, there is a lot of information new students should be aware of. First, they should know what their many options are for residence halls. Along with residence halls, prospective students should know that there are five dining halls (that are nationally ranked!) to choose from. Lastly, students should be aware of the opportunities they have with more than 800 student clubs and organizations!

Lauren Johnson

Year: Senior
Major: Environmental Health Science
Hometown: Logansport, IN
E-mail: johnson8@purdue.edu  

What will you miss about Purdue when you graduate?

The thing I will miss most about Purdue will be not walking around campus every day. I love our beautiful campus and passing by other students going to class. Being on campus just gives me a comfortable feeling.

Melissa King

Year: Senior
Major: Nursing
Hometown: Avon, IN
E-mail: king27@purdue.edu 

What is your favorite class?

My favorite class was Abnormal Psychology. The content of that class was focused on a study of psychological diseases, which was fascinating. We also got to see multimedia examples in the form of different videos. It was definitely eyeopening to see what some individuals and families struggle with.

Alysha Kupferer

Year: Senior
Major: Apparel Design & Technology
Hometown: Columbus, IN
E-mail: akupfere@purdue.edu 

What did you learn from your study abroad adventure?

Studying abroad in Australia helped me grow outside of my comfort zone. It provided me with insight into myself and gave me a new perspective of the international fashion industry. While interning abroad at "Romance Was Born" I was able to work alongside top designers and gain unparalleled experience.

Elise Leung

Year: Junior
Major: Movement & Sport Sciences
Hometown: Logansport, IN
E-mail: eleung@purdue.edu 

What should a prospective student know about Purdue?

Prospective students need to know that Purdue University offers more than just an education. It provides an opportunity to grow and explore all the different possibilities they can pursue with their future. Purdue becomes their home with faculty that treats them with respect and is always willing to help as much as they possibly can.

Erica McDowell

Year: Sophomore
Major: Human Services
Hometown: Lafayette, IN
E-mail: emcdowel@purdue.edu

Why did you choose to attend Purdue?

I finally decided that Purdue was the place for me when I realized that this campus offered so much more than academics. There are countless organizations, clubs and other activities that make this whole college experience a fantastic one. Having other things to be a part of makes my time here so much more special and enjoyable

Alyssa McPherson

Year: Senior
Major: Athletic Training
Hometown: Whiteland, IN
E-mail: ammcpher@purdue.edu 

What is your dream job?

My dream job involves combining my passions of both dance and medicine. As a dancer, I understand the demands of the art, the constraints that come with the lifestyle, and the aspirations of most dancers. As an athletic trainer, I can utilize this knowledge to help dancers heal and recover from injuries. My ultimate goal is to become an athletic trainer for a professional ballet company, be it the American Ballet Theatre or the San Francisco Ballet.

Ann Mears

Year: Senior
Major: Hospitality, & Tourism Management
Hometown: Delphi, IN
E-mail: amears@purdue.edu

What is your dream job?

My dream job would involve working for a sports team handling their public relations and events. With this job, I could combine my schooling in hospitality with my passion for sports.

Mary Michel

Year: Senior
Major: Family & Consumer Sciences Education
Hometown: Boonville, IN
E-mail: memichel@purdue.edu

Why did you choose to attend Purdue?

Daniel Mills

Year: Junior
Major: Financial Counseling & Planning
Hometown: Lafayette, IN
E-mail: dbmills@purdue.edu  

What is the most fun activity you've done at Purdue?

Hands down, the most fun activity I have done at Purdue has to be Barn Dance with my fraternity. Barn Dance occurs in the fall after one of Purdue's home football games. We dance, have a bonfire, and have a hay ride. It's so much fun!!

Lisa Moore

Year: Senior
Major: Hospitality & Tourism Management
Hometown: Carmel, IN
E-mail: moore13@purdue.edu 

What did you learn from your study abroad adventure?

While studying abroad in Mallorca, Spain, I took advantage of my surroundings and explored the culture and destinations. If you take in as much as you can, you not only learn about the place you are visiting, but you grow as a person and learn about yourself.

Sikhanyisiwe Nkala

Year: Junior
Major: Selling & Sales Management
Hometown: Bangkok, Thailand
E-mail: snkala@purdue.edu

Why did you choose to attend Purdue?

Jaci Reiter

Year: Junior
Major: Movement & Sport Sciences
Hometown: Naperville, IL
E-mail: jreiter@purdue.edu 

What is your favorite class?

My favorite class at Purdue University has been Anatomy and Physiology. It was a very difficult course, but also very interesting. In lab, we were able to have hands on experience and look at a cow's heart and pig's eye. It helps in the memorization when you can see the organ you are studying. We were also able to use our own blood to find our blood type. We used microscopes and other high tech machines.

Kandyce Robertson

Year: Junior
Major: Retail Management
Hometown: Kouts, IN
E-mail: klrobert@purdue.edu

What did you find beneficial about your internship?

Hands-on experience and traveling opportunities were the most rewarding part of my retail and design internship. Being able to live and work in a new environment was exciting and helped me to gain many skills that I know I will use in my future career in retailing.

Chelsea Salsbery

Year: Senior
Major: Nursing
Hometown: Westfield, IN
E-mail: csalsber@purdue.edu

Why did you choose to attend Purdue?

I decided Purdue was the place for me for several reasons. First off, I wanted the feel of a Big Ten school, while having the benefits of being in a small classroom setting, which is what you get in the School of Nursing. Also, I wanted to be involved in the activities on campus. At Purdue, there is a wide range of clubs and extracurricular activities to become involved in.

Teryn Sapper

Year: Junior
Major: Dietetics
Hometown: Warsaw, IN
E-mail: tsapper@purdue.edu 

What is your favorite class?

My favorite class that I have had so far is Food Science 205. Each week we were in the cooking lab for 5 hours, which seems like a lot but the time always went by very quickly! In this class we worked with different cooking techniques and different food products and learned how these factors affected the foods that we eat.

Andrew P. Savitsky

Year: Sophomore
Major: Hospitality & Tourism Management
Hometown: Sheridan, IN
E-mail: asavitsk@purdue.edu 

What did you learn from your study abroad adventure?

Alongside learning about international franchising and European culture, I also got to experience a new way of life. For the month I was in Austria, I learned about the Viennese people, culture, and hospitality. The people I met and the experiences I had are something I wouldn't trade for anything

Alyssa Schnaus

Year: Junior
Major: Psychology
Hometown: Jasper, IN
E-mail: aschnaus@purdue.edu  

What should a prospective student know about Purdue?

Every student should know that every professor, teaching assistant, counselor, etc., wants you to succeed. Therefore, they always are there with an open door and willing to help you understand the material. Second, there are plenty of ways to get involved with your school and meet lots of people through clubs and organizations.

Maureen Shields

Year: Senior
Major: Speech, Language, & Hearing Sciences
Hometown: Munster, IN
E-mail: mmshield@purdue.edu  

What is your dream job?

My dream job is to work in a hospital as a Speech-Language Pathologist. Working in a hospital setting would be fast-paced and I would get to see patients with all sorts of communications disorders. I would love to work mainly with adults who are post-stroke or have a traumatic brain injury. As long as I'm helping people, I'll be happy.

Kristen Steinke

Year: Senior
Major: Behavioral Neuroscience Psychology
Hometown: South Bend, IN
E-mail: ksteinke@purdue.edu

What did you find beneficial about your internship?

This past summer, I had an internship in Washington D.C. for a lobbyist group called the National Low Income Housing Coalition. The internship not only gave me great insight to how our government works and functions, but also gave me great experience living and working in a big city. The internship helped me become more independent and I gained so much irreplaceable knowledge living and navigating on my own.

Cody Studebaker

Year: Senior
Major: Selling & Sales Management
Hometown: Silver Lake, IN
E-mail: cstudeba@purdue.edu  

What will you miss about Purdue when you graduate?

I am going to miss the deep traditions you encounter on an everyday basis. This campus is full of history that you can see around every corner. I am also going to miss the convenience of having all my friends and everything I need only a few blocks away.

Kathryn Stwalley

Year: Sophomore
Major: Psychology/Pre-dental
Hometown: Lafayette, IN
E-mail: kstwalle@purdue.edu 

What advice do you have for a first year student?

Make the effort to stay on campus if you're from around town. Don't huddle in the corner of your dorm room. Enjoy the freedom of being a college student and see what's out there. This is the best time to try things that you might not have the opportunity to do later in life.

Leigha Thompson

Year: Sophomore
Major: Movement & Sports Sciences
Hometown: Crawfordsville, IN
E-mail: lthomps@purdue.edu 

What is the most fun activity you've done at Purdue?

The most fun I have had at Purdue wasn't technically at Purdue but was coordinated through Purdue's Christian Campus House. A big group of students went to the Smoky Mountains for spring break 2010. It was so much fun to fellowship with so many new people. Plus the Smoky Mountains are absolutely beautiful!

Cailin Turik

Year: Senior
Major: Nursing
Hometown: Indianapolis, IN
E-mail: cturik@purdue.edu  

What advice do you have for a first year student?

My words of wisdom are to find what works for you personally. Apply this to your academics, extracurriculars, social life, and so on until you become adjusted to each aspect of the college life. Once you find balance, everything will fall into place.

Genevieve Viduya

Year: Senior
Major: Occupational Health Sciences
Hometown: Indianapolis, IN
E-mail: gviduya@purdue.edu 

What is your dream job?

My dream job would be to travel the world, especially to third world countries, and incorporate the skills and knowledge that I have acquired through my Purdue education to improve communities and the environment.

Katie Ward

Year: Senior
Major: Retail Management
Hometown: Fort Wayne, IN
E-mail: kaward@purdue.edu 

What is your dream job?

My dream job would be to work on the corporate side of a large retail company. I would like to work in a merchandising position that would give me the ability to travel all over the country.

Hailey Wilson

Year: Junior
Major: Dietetics, Nutrition, Fitness & Health
Hometown: Rockford, IL
E-mail: hkwilson@purdue.edu 

What should a prospective student know about Purdue?

I think the most important thing for a prospective student to know about Purdue is that every connection you make is important. Working in a lab, introducing yourself to a professor or even sharing a unique opinion in class could open up so many doors for you. Professors need students like you in order to do their jobs well, and your efforts do not go unnoticed.

Kim Ziarko

Year: Junior
Major: Foods & Nutrition in Business
Hometown: New Buffalo, MI
E-mail: kziarko@purdue.edu 

What did you learn from your study abroad adventure?

I studied abroad over spring break in Belgium and Luxembourg. Even though it was only for a week, I learned so much about their culture and cuisine from experiencing it first hand. No textbook could ever replace it!