The Agronomy Family

Hi friends! My name is Olivia Stratton and I’m a sophomore majoring in Agronomy and minoring in Food and Agribusiness Management and Sociology. I’m feeling a little nostalgic because two years ago today was the first time I visited Purdue. I remember I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do when my senior year of high school rolled around I started applying to colleges. I had thought about Agriculture as an option because I liked science, but I only had minimal exposure to it because I grew up in the suburbs and went to a city high school. I was worried I wouldn’t fit in. However, I just decided to go for it because it was one of the only things that actually seemed like a viable option to me, and so I picked Agronomy.

Fast forward to now, I couldn’t imagine myself anywhere else! The Agronomy department has genuinely become my second family. All of my advisers, mentors, and instructors made me feel welcome and at home in our department. I thought I wouldn’t fit in because I didn’t grow up in Agriculture, but that just isn’t the case. Pretty much everyone here has a different relationship with Agriculture and I’ve realized that everyone’s perspective is important to finding the solutions to the problems we face. Honestly, I don’t think there’s a single person in Agronomy that doesn’t fit in somewhere. It can be daunting to jump head-first into something you know nothing about, but in this case, it was completely worth it!

Olivia Stratton

ostratto@purdue.edu