- Author: Antoinette Machado
I come from a small, agricultural town in the Central Valley of California where, from a young age, I learned the importance of agriculture. I have been working for the Fruit and Nut Research and Information Center at UC Davis for a year while pursuing a degree in Plant Science at UC Davis. I chose UC Davis because of its academic excellence as well as the innovative and interactive Agricultural and Environmental Science departments. I am also the daughter of an Aggie Alumni and proud to be attending my Father's alma mater.
I have found myself falling in love with the small-town-feel of Davis. The enrolled student population of 33,000 makes up just about half of the population of Davis, CA, over 65,000. Through events such as Neighborhood-Night-Out, weekly farmer's markets, and multiple festivals, the university and community are truly brought together and create a welcoming environment. I fit in perfectly with the laid-back culture here.
The small student to faculty ratio (17:1) at UC Davis enhances networking abilities between teachers, faculty and students. The professors understand the student's desire to learn and challenge us with real world problems such as feeding the increasing population and the management of limited resources like land and water. Our supportive faculty grants us access to greenhouses, research fields and state-or-the-art equipment to experiment and think critically about current issues with the hope of improving the agricultural industry. The world renowned prestige of the university opens many doors into the agricultural industry which broadens my horizons and allows me to realize the many available opportunities.
I firmly believe UC Davis was the right choice for me. I know it is leading me down the path to achieve my dreams and so much more.
Photographs taken by Ninh Khuu, Plant Sciences Department, UC Davis