Senior Profile: Melissa VanderSanden
Name: Melissa VanderSanden
Hometown: Oregon, WI
High School: Oregon High School
Class Size: 273
Major: Dairy Science
Why did you decide to attend UW-Madison?
I attended UW-Madison because Badger blood runs through my veins. My father received his Master’s from here and my brother also attended Madison. There was was no other place I’d rather be.
What has been your most memorable college experience?
I have a lot of great memories from my time at Madison but I have a tie for my most memorable. The first was when I attended the inaugural Big Ten Championship football game my freshman year. I was able to attend with my family as well as a few of my new friends from college and had a blast. My second most memorable memory was having the opportunity to judge at World Dairy Expo my junior year. I had never judged before coming to Madison, but it was truly an experience that I would never miss.
What has been your favorite course?
My favorite class had to be Ted Halbach’s Dairy Science 205: Dairy Cattle Evaluation. Like I said before I have never judged before coming to Madison, so I learned quite a bit in this class. Additionally, when I took it there was a small group of students in the class which made it extremely enjoyable. Further, there were countless opportunities for hands on experience which, for me, was a great way to retain the knowledge I was taught. Without this class I don’t think I would have ever had any interest in judging.
What are your future career goals?
I was fortunate enough to graduate this winter so my future plans will be starting shortly. Currently I am planning on going into the medical field by becoming either a Physician Assistant or a Nurse Practitioner. Hopefully I will attend a school out west to complete that goal. After that I hope to practice medicine as well as work on or own my own farm.