Reflections of a Collegiate Soil Judger
The K-State Collegiate Soil Judging Team just returned from the national contest hosted by the University of Tennessee at Martin. K-State got 5th in group judging and 10th overall team. This competition was also my last as I am graduating in May. When I look back on four years at K-State, my involvement with Sigma Alpha and the soil judging team are the most memorable. When I joined the team my freshman year, I never knew how much of an impact it would make.
1. The skills developed in practice are applicable in my professional career.
Being able to use soil genesis and classification knowledge learned in the classroom in a competition setting taught me to be driven and self-motivated. My achievements on the team are highlighted on my resume and employers love it!
2. I’ve gotten to travel and see states and soils I wouldn’t have otherwise visited.
Soils can be thousands of different colors and textures and are beautiful! I’ve gotten to travel to Iowa, Nebraska, Arkansas, South Dakota, Illinois, and Tennessee. 3. I’ve made lifelong friends that share my passion for soils.
If any prospective students are reading this, I cannot recommend joining the soil judging team more. It doesn’t matter if you soil judged in high school or not (I didn’t!), you end up learning things at each contest that you can’t be taught in a classroom.
In Sisterhood,
Tessa Zee