A college visit sold Allison Sanders on the Department of Animal Sciences at The Ohio State University.
“I went on an Experience Ohio State for a Day tour when I was a senior and fell in love with the program, the college, and the people in the department,” she said.
The personalized format of an Experience Ohio State visit appealed to her. “I got to spend time with a current student, and that really showed me what my life could look like in a year,” she said. “Getting to spend a day going to classes, seeing what friend groups were like, what study groups were like and asking any questions I had, getting that real-life case study—it made it feel tangible. It was home immediately.”
Sanders also knew she wanted to become an Animal Sciences student, despite not having an agricultural background. “I grew up showing my dog for 4-H, so 4-H was the catapult to animal sciences,” she said. “Ohio State was the only place I knew I wanted to be, because of the people and opportunities that I knew were going to present themselves. I knew I could continue to learn at a rigorous pace, be a part of leadership opportunities, research opportunities, and get to know the industry in the classroom and outside of it, and that changed the game for me.”
For Allison, one of those opportunities was the Dairy Challenge Team. The team visits dairy producers across the country and develops presentations evaluating producer operations, noting strengths and offering suggestions. The team competes against other collegiate teams and is judged by industry professionals. “We were able to take what we were learning in the classroom and apply it to a real-life dairy farm,” Sanders said. “It’s the first time you start to develop a voice in the industry. It’s one thing to say you have to fix X, Y, and Z, but how are we actually going to do it, and is it feasible?”
Sanders credits her Dairy Challenge experience with introducing her to professionals and companies throughout the dairy industry. “Because of what I got to do, I was able to make some connections in the industry, and I was able to get a job after graduation,” she said.
During her time on campus, Sanders also hosted prospective students as a college ambassador with Experience Ohio State, served as a peer mentor, was a member of collegiate 4-H, and during her senior year, joined Sphinx, a senior class honorary organization. She also found a home in the CFAES living-learning community, where she met people who would become lifelong friends. “It’s interesting to see this fresh wave of industry professionals and I knew them from down the hall, in the dorms!” she said.
Now, Sanders is a ruminant sales specialist with Novus International. “I work with producers directly and indirectly to offer nutritional support through a scientific lens, so I get to apply what I learned at Ohio State while seeing whole-herd impacts,” she said. She also has advice for prospective Animal Sciences students: “Try everything you can and ask as many questions as you can,” she said. “The worst they’re going to tell you is ‘no,’ so you might as well ask, ‘Can I be a part of it, can I do this?’ I fell into a lot of opportunities because I asked a question about it! And it always worked out for the best.”