My passion for agriculture started at a very young age. My father would grab my little hand, help me with my boots, and we would go out to the barn where the smell of straw and the squeals and grunts of baby piglets would greet us. In first grade, I would help my family run our vegetable stand. I would pick strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, as well as zucchinis, squashes, and peppers in the field and even operate the cash register at the local farm market. This love for animals and agriculture has always been a part of my life. When I was a member of FFA, I participated in a variety of Career Development Events in order to experience all the different “fields” of agriculture. I have found that I love the livestock industry the most. I have enjoyed showing hogs for ten years in 4-H. For a few years, I also ventured into showing feeder calves and market lambs. By spending every morning and evening in the barn, I have learned that animals impact our lives. Each morning and night, I helped my dad adjust feed rations in order to achieve the proper weight gain for each individual animal. Making and feeding these individual diets for each pig took extra time each feeding. However, all of the time that we put into working with fair animals paid off with winning showmanship and the market show. I want to continue working with animals in my adult life. I know that good, cost-effective nutrition is a vital aspect of a market project and in the industry itself. I plan to help future 4-Her’s feed their animals like champions. My Ph.D. in swine nutrition would enable me to create healthy feed for hogs, which in turn produce healthy pork products for the world to consume.