I am a senior at Michigan State University where I am currently studying Turfgrass Management along with a minor in Business. While going to school, I am also working part-time at College Fields Golf Club. This experience allows me to continue my turf skills, but also help pay for school. During high school, I decided that I wanted to go to pursue a degree in turf after playing baseball growing up and seeing how the fields were supposed to maintained. I did some research and decided that I could attend one of the best schools for turf right in my own backyard at Michigan State University. While working at a county park, I saw an opportunity to work at a golf course in my area, so I jumped at that opportunity and haven't looked back. This job gave me a great foundation for where I am at today because of the challenges that I encountered. Having a crew of less than ten guys really made me seek out the positives within those challenges. I moved to another course in the area and have been there since 2022. As a financially independent student, I continue to work during the school year and have completed two summer internships: one in Cincinnati and one in suburban Chicago. Outside of work, my academics are my priority. When I have time, I continue to stay as active as possible. I love hiking, cycling, running, skiing and watching just about every sport there is. I am always looking to improve my skills no matter where I go. After working at three golf courses, a football club, and a county park, I have taken away something from each opportunity. My goal is to improve myself every day - whether that be interpersonal skills, learning how to operate a new piece of equipment, or how to one day manage a crew. It is important to me that each day helps build my skill set to help me use these skills to help the crew and operations at future locations. My favorite areas of agronomic studies currently would be turfgrass pathology, turfgrass entomology, and learning about different cultural practices. I find turfgrass pathology to be very interesting because wherever I find myself after graduation, I will be encountering different diseases in that region. I want to be well versed in turfgrass pathology so I am not only prepared to address such diseases, but also confident to investigate situations that present themselves at the facility I am responsible to help maintain. I find this particular topic to be intriguing because of how the plant can respond to the pathogen and how we, as turf professionals, can help the plant successfully battle against the disease. Turfgrass entomology is also one of my favorite studies because of the different insects that can be beneficial to the turf system or the ones that can cause harm. I enjoy learning about this topic because, in the field, it is easy to just get rid of every insect. However, it's critical to remember that some insects are not only encouraged but critical to turf survival. I find it helpful to know the differences and how it can help me progress in the field. Lastly, I find cultural practices to be quite interesting because some superintendents are constantly aerifying and topdressing every two weeks, while others only use this strategy twice a year. I am always trying to learn "the why" behind the decisions that these professionals are making so I can implement them to the best of my ability when I am a superintendent.