Aja Hodge Kelsick grew up in The Valley in Anguilla, a tiny island that is the most northerly island in the Caribbean archipelago. This spring, she will be graduating with a bachelor’s degree. She is majoring in global health and environmental studies. In this Q&A, she talks about the benefits of the CALS QuickStart program – including learning about the college’s Honors in Research Program – as well as her career goals and motivations.

Why did you choose your major?
I selected my major based on my long-term interest in studying something health-related. I wanted to position myself to positively impact the public health sector in my hometown. Over the past 3 years, I learned the importance of the interconnectedness of health and the environment. Many people do not consider the important connections that exist between public health and environmental studies and the implications for society. In my global health degree, I learned strategies for addressing widespread health issues and about how public health operates in different countries, including many initiatives targeting health improvement for all people by eliminating disease, death, and disability in populations. Furthermore, while pursuing my environmental studies degree, I learned about the effects of people’s actions on the environment and how to devise ways to mitigate issues surrounding climate change, ozone layer depletion, invasive species, solid waste disposal and biodiversity that pose risks to various ecosystems.

What other activities were you involved in?
While acquiring my degree I held a brief position as a caterer at the union, joined the Guedot fruit crop entomology lab, worked as an undergraduate teaching fellow for the CALS QuickStart Program during summer term 2022, and held a position as an undergraduate writing fellow for the PEOPLE program for my final two semesters. During my final year, I also developed my senior honors thesis. My project was based on previous research where we found that syrphids, important pollinators, were migrating out of strawberry fields into perimeter plantings. My research sought to determine the impacts of perimeter plantings on syrphid visitation and thus pollination in strawberry fields. I analyzed gut content of syrphids to observe the proportion of strawberry pollen consumed compared to other types of pollen.

What are your future academic and/or career plans?
My short-term plan is to acquire an internship in my area of study to improve my developing knowledge in global health and environmental studies, then spend some time working in the public health sector in Anguilla so that I could mentally and financially prepare for graduate school. My long-term goal is to pursue a Master’s in public health.

What were the most valuable college experiences you had?
One of the most valuable college experiences I had was being a part of the QuickStart program for freshman students in CALS. This program helped to prepare me for what was to come and made me far more confident in terms of navigating the college environment. It was also through this program that I learned about many opportunities on campus such as the Honors in Research Program which I am proud to be a part of. I also developed a plan for my three years at the University, including the activities I intended to participate in.

When you think about your time here as a student, what are you proud of?
I am proud of how I have developed personally and professionally during my time at UW-Madison. I engaged in activities that challenged me to devise ways to address my fear of public speaking and become more extroverted in the process. I was also fortunate to be a part of activities where I learned more about myself and others as I engaged with students of different backgrounds and cultures.

Do you have any advice you’d like to share with CALS students?
My advice to CALS students would be to make the best of their college experience, meet new people, and try new things. Always remember your ultimate goal, but in the process of doing so, make sure that you are prioritizing yourself and your well-being at the same time. College can be both an exciting and nerve-racking time, take things slowly and utilize as many of the resources at your disposal as possible.