When I came into college as a freshman last year I was very nervous and scared. I did not know what to expect and I thought everything would be difficult. Now that I am a sophomore I can say that my experience at the University of Idaho has been great. There is no other school that can compare to U of I. I feel that everything that is a part of this campus is amazing from the student organizations to the football games. I never thought I would really come to college but now that I am here I will enjoy it as much as possible. I know that classes seem to be a bit more of a challenge but that just means I have to work harder to get the best out of it. This year seems to be so much better than my freshman year simply because now I am able to take more of those classes towards my major. One of my classes is Textiles, and I think the class is really interesting because we are learning about how different fabrics are made, what types and why some are more expensive then others. I think it is one of my favorite classes this semester. But even though this semester is going good, I am ready for spring semester and for new classes.
As this semester comes to an end I have experienced many things. Living on my own has been an experience that I never notice. Last year as a freshman I lived in the Wallace Dorms and I thought I was on my own and living life. Now that am living in an apartment, things are so much different. I have learned to conserve energy as much as possible because now I realize what a cost it is to pay for electricity. I have also learned how to be more responsible about organizing my time from school and still being responsible with my apartment. I need to keep in mind to clean, cook and do my own chores to the side of still having to do homework, projects and studying for tests. All of this has been a great experience for me because this is only preparing me for my future. This has all been a challenge at one point but no matter what happens I know that I have enough responsibility to do whatever it is I want.
MEET ERIK ZAVALA
When I first visited the University of Idaho in fall of 2007, I felt that this was a great place to come to school. Later in the year I did a campus visit to further my knowledge of the campus and its Agricultural programs. After that visit I decided that I was going to attend the University of Idaho. I am now half way through the fall semester and the initial feeling that I had towards the university’s positive vibe is greater. The past couple of months have been a real learning journey; I have been surrounded with multiple learning experiences that just have made my life as a college student at the U of I a great one.
As the end of the semester approaches times seems to be diminishing and curiously assignments seem to increase. After returning from Thanks giving break; witch was very much needed, classes seem to be getting busier as professors wrap up their course and projects that were assigned for the end of the semester are due within the next couple of weeks. Besides all this, I am content with the positive experience that the University of Idaho provided me on my first semester. Overall I have had many positive learning experiences; which I am glad I had them here, which have made me appreciate the opportunities that the University of Idaho has given me as a Hispanic student.
MEET JENNIFER ANN SPENCER
This is my second year at the University of Idaho, and I must say that it is going much better than the first year. Not only do I know where my classes are and know of wonderful resources, by participating in the Multicultural Scholarship Program, I have been able to become more informed and involved on campus. I have attended a couple of CAAP workshops and they have proven quite valuable already. For example I attended the workshop about how to get into graduate school, and I just visited the National FFA convention, and I knew what type of questions to ask when searching for a graduate school. I feel like this benefitted me greatly and helped me narrow down my choices to a school that will be better fit for me. I have really enjoyed my experience here at the University of Idaho and think that as the year goes on and I become more and more involved and informed about what is available to me it will only benefit me in the long run. I cannot wait to see what will happen throughout the rest of this semester.
So far this semester has been amazing. I am not just saying that because I can get a D on my Chemistry final and pass with a B in the class, but I am saying that because I feel as though I have grown a great deal in the past couple of months. Currently, I am taking 19 credits and working part time at the University of Idaho Dairy feeding calves. These activities alone take up the majority of my time, but the rest of it goes to participating in SArb (Student Alumni Relations Board), Dairy Club, Kappa Alpha Theta and yes sleep. This has been the busiest semester thus far in my college career, but it has really taught me a lot about time management. I really dislike showing up to classes late, or even not showing up, so I had to schedule everyday by every hour.
Through the Multicultural Scholarship Program, I have had many opportunities to broaden my horizon, and have done so by participating in this program. Just this semester, I have gone to a CAPP workshop and learned how to apply for graduate school. This alone will help me further my education after I finish my undergraduate. I have also attended the WSU Career Fair, which helped me see all the possible jobs that are available after college to individuals with animal science bachelor degrees. This semester has been one of the toughest semesters thus far, but has matured me and showed me many opportunities for my future which I am very grateful for. I can’t wait to see how next semester goes.
MEET STEPHANIE CASSIDY
I am attending the University of Idaho this year as a sophomore. I am living in the LLC’s this year and am enjoying the people I am living with. This semester I am taking more difficult classes compared to last year, but I like that I’m starting to take more Animal and Veterinary courses. I started to take a ballroom class this semester and enjoy it very much. I hope to continue taking more of these classes throughout my college career.
My experience here at the University of Idaho has gone well for me this semester. I have met many new people this year and have participated in more vandal sports by attending games. My classes are going fairly well and I am eager to get into more classes that are based on animal and veterinary science. I am looking forward to taking an animal husbandry lab next semester. I have never really dealt with large animal and I feel by taking this lab, it will give me more experience in that field and help me decided which types of animals I want to work with when I get older.
MEET NICHOLE MICHELLE PHILIPS
I came to the University of Idaho expecting to be in one club (the pre-veterinarian club), not have as many friends as I do at home, and basically spend most of my time in my room or my best friend's room. I learned the week I spent here that it is impossible to do that. I currently highly active in two clubs and I am friends with more people than I know back in Boise. I have been able to meet many different cultures that I don't see back in Boise as well as learn more about my own heritage. I find that I spend very little time in my dorm room. I am constantly gone to class, to the library, to club events, and spending time with friends. When I am in my room I am usually studying for a test or doing homework or sleeping. One of my biggest things that I had to learn right away and that I'm still working on is to manage my time better. Back in Boise I didn't have as many things consuming my time so I was able to do everything that I needed to and I had time to spare. Here I don't even get the chance to call home that often. But when I do get the chance to call home I always have a ton to tell my parents and friends.
Since my dad and I are both going to college now (he is attending Apollo College to get a medical coding degree) I am able to tell him about classes and he knows what I'm talking about. The current topic that always seems to come up with ever I get on the phone to him is my bioethics class. This class has taught me more than I ever imagined it would. I never thought that I would be excited to be in a class where everyone in the class is happy to get an eight out of sixteen. The discussions we had in that class caused me to reevaluate some of my positions. Then there are the discussions that seem to lead nowhere till you leave the class and spend the night thinking about them. I think that is the best part of the class, is that we get two days till we see the class again and we had mull it over till then. Also we have the option of continuing our discussions on Blackboard. Our teachers let us students use the discussion page to our own advantage. A lot of times we will even start a discussion on Blackboard and finish it in class. I know I am enjoying school a lot more now that I have a curriculum that challenges me.
Besides my classes there are also the things I am required to do for this scholarship as well as my duties for Native American Student Association (NASA). The multicultural scholarship gave me the chance to see what more the college of agriculture and life sciences has to offer me. It also gave me the chance to meet Steve Martin and learn about NASA. If I had never had gotten this scholarship I would have never been involved in NASA and met all of the people at the center. Because of NASA I am now involved with Unity and I have met my friends who could be mistaken for my twin sister. I know that next semester I will have even more to do than this semester because I know my class schedule will be harder and I will have obligations for this scholarship as well as NASA. I believe that I now have a better understanding of what I have to do to be able to keep doing everything I want and love to do. I now have a better handle on my schedule and I will be able to better manage all of the things I have to get done while still leaving room for the things that I want to do.
MEET SAMANTHA PEREZ
So far my experience at the University of Idaho has been amazing! I have met so many new friends. This year I went through sorority recruitment and I pledged Gamma Phi Beta. I love living in the Greek system, it has enriched my life in so many ways. One of my favorite parts about the Greek system is that we participate in a philanthropy. For my house we put on a basketball tournament and give the money to Campfire USA. As an Agri-business major I also love the college of Agriculture and Life Sciences. All my teachers have been so helpful. I’m not just a number to the professors here at the university. One of my favorite parts about the University is the campus. When I first came up to school I was afraid that I was going to get lost, but the campus is set up really nice.
I’ve living in Moscow for about four months now, and I still love it. Right now I’ve just been preparing for my final exams. Hopefully the studying will pay off. I’ve been staying pretty busy this semester. I joined the Agri-Business club and also the Student Alumni Relations Board. Both clubs have been a lot of fun, and I plan on staying in both. Another exciting thing is that in my house, Gamma Phi Beta I was just elected as the house Parliamentarian! I love Parli Pro so it should be a lot of fun. I registered for next semester, and it is looking like I will be fairly busy with sixteen credits, but I’m looking forward to it. I love to learn. My experience at the University of Idaho has been so great, and I’m looking forward to making more memories.
MEET TIFFANY THORNTON
So far my experience at the University of Idaho has been eye opening. I been working really hard this term to get good grades and thus far have A’s in all of my classes except for history which I do not know the grade. I have joined the group PAAEYC-SA and become the AG-SAC representative for the group. I must admit that this has added some extra responsibility on my part, but I feel that it is worth it. I have been using the gym regularly and enjoying the facilities provided to me the student. I have gone to the career expo which although not really for my major allowed me to get some useful information for my brother. I have gone to the back-to-school picnic and enjoyed good food and company. This was very helpful because I am extremely shy and getting to meet other people in my department is always helpful in building connections. I also really liked attending the mock interview which helped me figure out where my strengths are at and where I need to improve. Overall so far my experience has been a good one and I am enjoying my time here.
I can personally say that my experience here has been great so far. The teachers are very nice and often times will work with you if you have a problem. This I find very nice because it allows me the chance to get to know my teachers and they get to know me. I often times felt at my community college I was just another name on the roster and they never really got to know me. Here the teachers even say “hi” to me when they see me around campus. This is really great because as humans we all want to be acknowledged and know that people care. Another thing that I like about the U of I is the chance to join clubs that make a difference and includes people that want to make a difference. I joined PAAYAS-CA and have enjoyed all of the meetings we have had thus far because they are very informative and allow me to make connections with others who care about children and whom may also be in my major.
MEET SEAN LaPOSE
The College of Agricultural & Life Sciences at the University of Idaho is proud to announce that Sean LaPose is a recent recipient of a United States Department of Agriculture Multicultural Scholars Grant.
MEET VANESSA CORNWALL
As the year started, I began to encounter some difficulties that I did not know how to handle. I worked abroad this summer and returned with only three days to pack before I left for university. I found myself unprepared which added to the stress of living away from home. Though I had always had freedom in high school, living away from my parents gave me more freedom than I had previously known. Keeping focused was a challenge for me in the beginning, but living in a sorority helped me balance my social and academic lives. My professors, friends, advisor, and staff from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences all helped me prepare myself, settle in, and discover the campus.
My first semester at the University of Idaho has been everything I hoped it would be. Coming from a small school, I was intimidated by the size of the campus and the number of students enrolled in the University of Idaho . I quickly realized that Moscow was a tight-knit community where anyone was willing to help you succeed. With some help from my Pi Beta Phi sisters, I was able to adapt to campus life. Being Greek made it easier to get to know other students and create good study habits, but the classroom environment of the University of Idaho helped as well. At this university, the classroom is a safe place to share ideas and opinions. Professors are eager and willing to help their students. Students respect one another and their professors making it easy to learn. This semester, I was only enrolled in smaller classes which I enjoyed because I got to know my classmates on a more personal level. The University of Idaho is the only university I could imagine being a part of. The students and staff are full of pride for their school and with good reason. This university provides the perfect balance between academics and fun, often times mixing the two. I am proud to be one of the many Idaho Vandals.
2006-2007 Recipients
MEET LISA GALBRAITH
With the end of another semester nearing brings me to the realization that time flies and you can never take it back. This semester was extremely eventful and very positive for me. I was accepted into UI’s dietetics program, inducted into the Phi Upsilon Omicron honors society, attended the MANRRS national conference in Denver and became a CALS Ambassador. All of these events have been very enjoyable and have taught me how to multitask and plan my weeks and months before they arrive! Along with these events, my classes have been very fun. My microbiology class is very interesting and has an interactive lab to accompany it while my foods class allows me to be creative with my projects. Overall, this semester has been very productive and gratifying. Although I am always sad to leave Moscow, this summer will allow me to unwind and prepare for fall semester, which will be here in a blink of an eye!
With the start of a new semester comes excitement and enthusiasm for new classes and familiar faces. This semester started off well for me, with five classes and three labs, I stay busy everyday. Along with my challenging classes, I am applying to the Coordinated Program in Dietetics this spring. The dietetics application is very extensive and culminates with an interview at the end of March, which is another experience I will be preparing myself for in the upcoming month. Other than my wonderful classes and dietetics application, I have had the privilege to attend the etiquette dinner on February 12 th. This was a great opportunity to learn how to dress for success, endure an interview dinner and catch up with fellow MSP students about their winter breaks and classes. With all the fun and excitement the semester has brought to the table, it feels great to know spring break just around the corner!
The 2008 Fall semester has been fun and adventurous for me. I am currently a Junior in the Dietetics program here at the University of Idaho, which is keeping me very busy through all of the food service lab rotations, group projects and exams. I have become very involved through the Food and Nutrition club as well as CALS Ambassadors. This is my first year as a CALS Ambassador, which has given me many opportunities to become more involved in the college, meet new people and improve my public speaking skills. One aspect of this semester that I am particularly proud of is being apart of the winning group who developed “Joe Vandal’s Pesto Yukon Gold Potatoes”, a new and improved Thanksgiving recipe. Two of my classmates and I developed this recipe, created a handout and presented our final product to a panel of eight judges who chose our recipe to be published on a UI Thanksgiving greeting card for major donors and alumni. Overall, this semester has been a very busy yet rewarding experience where I have further developed my knowledge and personal character.
The semester is finally coming to an end and I can’t believe how busy it has been! This is my first year in the dietetics program and I have had many labs, projects and exams that have kept me extremely busy. Although my days have been very demanding, I am enjoying my semester because I have gotten to know a variety of people through the CPD program and being a CALS Ambassador. After the first week of school I was worried about getting through this semester alive, but here I am at the tail end of the semester and I am turning in handfuls of projects that I feel are high quality. Overall, this semester has been a great learning experience where I have had to learn time management and how to efficiently organize my days.
MEET MANUEL F. DIAZ-GONZALEZ
This semester, besides academics, I pretty much been involve mostly in sports, the only organization that I went to meetings regularly was the ASABAE. I have a lot fun playing intramural sports, with ambassadors as well with my classes. I am doing better than last semester in my grades and I work my first real paper for 2 classes. Also this semester I took 7 of my very good friends to Puerto Rico where we have a life changing experience. For the summer I am looking forward to work in soils research and go camping, fishing and play softball.
This semester has been a very interesting and entertaining one for me, I am having a ton of fun and I’m doing decently in classes. I’m the kind of person that really likes to be busy reason why so far (7 weeks on the semester) I am playing many sports with different teams. This semester I am a Resident Assistant over the LLC CNR house which also keeps me really busy; with the CNR house teams of intramural sports I am playing whiffle ball, softball, volleyball, dodge ball, flag football and coaching the soccer team. I still the president of the Latin American and Iberian Student association and with them I am playing soccer in the intramural sports. I am a CALS Ambassador this semester too, so with them I was pretty busy during Ag Days and with some meetings, also with the Ambassadors/Agribusiness club I played softball in the Ag Days Softball Tournament. I love to play softball, that my favorite sport among all the ones that I am playing right now, so I am also playing with the Army Bratz Team on the Moscow Parks and Recreation Fall Softball League. In classes I am doing well I got mostly A’s and B’s in the first round of test, and I am having 13 credits right now, I am taking some interesting classes like Forestry, remote Sensing of the Environment, Engineering Circuits Analysis and Engineering Analysis and Design. About CALS Ambassadors, I am having a great time, I kind of start with the left foot but now I’m switching to the right, I have such a good partners and what we do as Ambassadors is fun and useful. About the been a Resident Assistant, everything is going very well, my residents are very good and not needy at all, and besides the first 2 weeks everything have been peaches and cream.
This semester I start with 18 credits, all classes that I was interested on. These classes are BAE 242 Engineering Analysis and Design, BAE 433 Bioremediation, BAE 441 Instrumentation and Measurements, BAE 478 Engineering Design I, BAE 491 Senior Seminar, CE 322 Hydraulics, ENGR 360 Engineering Economy and PEB 107 Team: Softball. Engineering Analysis and Design is an easy class mostly filled with sophomore students, I am the only senior, and the class is about how to setup and solve problems. Instrumentation and Measurements is the only class that I totally dislike, is about circuits and analog and digital signal instruments, topic that I find really boring. Engineering Design I is my favorite class and the one that I have invest the most time, I am part of Icubed team for El Salvador Water Project, having Jan Boll as our client. Senior Seminar is tedious and boring as it cam be. Hydraulics is one of the most interesting classes that I have ever had; I did love the class material and how much I learned but unfortunately I have to drop the class. In Engineering Economy when the class start I thought that it was going to be a really boring class, specially since I have never like economics, but it result to be the other way around, I did enjoy the class a lot and end up having an A in the class since that class is only ¾ of the semester. I took Softball as relief form the other classes, as just a pass time and I enjoy it a lot.
As mention, currently I am working in my Senior Design project as the irrigation expert for El Salvador Water Project that is a program with the intention of bring effective irrigation systems to the farms in northern El Salvador. I work in the Icubed team that consists of 5 members, 3 environmental engineering students, 1 mechanical engineering and me an agricultural engineering student, with El Salvador Water Project as our client. Our task is design an adaptable irrigation systems for over 200 farms on northern El Salvador.
MEET RUDY SHEBALA
To say that the fall, 2007, semester has been an adventure for me is an understatement. My semester started a week late. My second hour class of my first day began with a quiz. My second day of class in my first hour class was not any more accommodating as it also began with a quiz. I had to hit the ground running. I didn’t have a choice. I did not give myself easy choices. I chose to be a full time college student and this is what it is all about. My classes as a senior in the College of Agricultural and Life Science’s, Animal and Veterinary Science program are so full of information. My education this fall includes courses that cover tools used for management of financial capital on farms, ranches, and other agribusiness operations. I have tracked the myelin sheath of a multipolar neuron during Anatomy and Physiology and have met the challenges of reproductive physiology in my Animal and Veterinary Science 452 class. I have learned that my purebred Akhal-Teke stallion is a minimum splash white overo. I am thankful to my tutors, graduate students who are Teacher Assistants, my professors, and the Deans of the College of Agricultural and Live Sciences and the Animal and Veterinary Sciences department for their continued support of my efforts to succeed as a student.
MEET RACHEL SANDFORD
One of the things that I most appreciate about the University of Idaho is the willingness of the faculty to help students. It was a little frightening to walk into a lecture hall for the first time this year, to have no clue about what to expect or what was expected of me. Most of my understanding of college life had come from the media, where college professors are most often portrayed as harsh and difficult to please. What I have found at the University of Idaho is exactly the opposite. My professors are eager and willing to help me in any way possible. I feel that here my success in learning comes first. One of just many examples I could give is that of my chemistry lab instructor. He is always willing to answer any and all of my questions about chemistry, and on a normal lab night it is not uncommon for him to stay late with a student and explain a concept again and again until the student understands it. After he has explained something to me, my most common response is, "Oh, that is so easy!" My experience with the University of Idaho thus far has been incredible, in large part due to the dedication and service of the U of I staff.
On November 17, 2006 I went to Memory Drives This Bus: Tools & Tips for Faster, Easier, More Effective Study, which is one in part of the college success series offered by the Tutoring & Academic Assistance Programs. I learned about the way that our brain processes information and ten steps to better memory. I had fun putting the tips that I had learned, one of them being to associate a topic with something bizarre, into practice. We played a game where we had a minute to look at a list of words grouped into two, then one half of the words were taken away, and we had to remember what words were grouped with the words remaining. I was surprised at how fun and easy it was to remember all of the words by using this tip. For example one of the word groupings was diamond and house, which I associated with having to have a diamond wedding ring in order to have a house. It made studying like a game and helped me to realize that learning is my own process, and it doesn't matter how I remember things, just so long as I learn the concept and it makes sense to me.
Due to a personal matter, I chose to spend this semester of school in Coeur d’Alene with my family. One of the University of Idaho’s mantras is: “From here you can go anywhere!” I’ve come to find that this statement is not limited to University of Idaho graduates, but also current students. I’ve been taking online classes this semester, and I’ve been enjoying them thoroughly. It’s also been a lot of fun being able to tell people about the unique opportunities the University of Idaho has to offer, like online classes, satellite branches and foreign exchanges. I have missed the atmosphere of the traditional college classroom, but this semester has been full of rich experiences unique to where I am at in my life right now. I am forever grateful for having the opportunity to take online classes. It has taught me balancing skills and planning skills that I did not have before.
As a multicultural scholar, I was asked to make plans to attend as many events as I could, since taking online classes would limit my involvement with the college. Some of the events I was able to make it for include the Ag Picnic and the Ag Days Food Fair. I count these among some of my favorite memories from this semester. The Ag Picnic was so much fun, I loved being able to mix with the students from the college. We truly are a diverse group, with interests ranging from molecular biology all the way to child development, and entirely different backgrounds. I had never attended the picnic before this year, and I would never dream of missing it again. The Ag Days Food Fair was entirely delicious, and it was great to again see the diversity of the college’s clubs represented. I only wished that I could make it to more events, and I highly encourage every student to get as involved as they possibly can. The College of Ag truly has something for everybody.
