I graduated from Blackburn College in May, 2013, with a biology major and chemistry minor, and went on to earn my Masters of Science in Horticulture at Colorado State. Without doubt, my Blackburn Work Program experience as a biology department teaching assistant influenced my acceptance into C.S.U., which is one of the top five horticulture programs in the nation. Also, thanks to my three years’ experience as the botany teaching assistant, my advising professor at C.S.U. offered me a position as a graduate teaching assistant for two lab sections of undergraduate horticulture courses!

Blackburn College offers opportunities to gain "real world" work experience, often in jobs related directly to a student’s course of study or career interest. This puts them at a decided advantage over their peers at other schools, which it most certainly did in my case. As both academic instructors and "teaching supervisors" in the College's Work Program, my professors at Blackburn knew what the graduate programs I intended to pursue were looking for, and provided me with personal guidance and work learning experiences that I needed to be successful. I do not believe there are many, or perhaps any other undergraduate institutions that offer opportunities like those presented to me at Blackburn.
I will be forever grateful for my experience at Blackburn College.