Student Feature: Rachel Robinson

By: Taylor Sondgeroth

One of the key messages that the Auburn University College of Agriculture (COA) promotes is student involvement to gain hands-on experience and build networks. Students in the College of Agriculture are involved in a variety of organizations across campus, proving the versatility of students in the college.

Rachel Robinson is a junior from Auburn, Alabama, majoring in Music and Animal Sciences on the Pre-Vet track.

“When I was looking at the curriculum guides for all of the Pre-Vet tracks at Auburn, I knew that I would be able to get more opportunities to understand how the veterinary profession works in the grand scheme of agriculture and the world through the College of Agriculture,” Robinson said.

Robinson is involved in a multitude of campus organizations that incorporate her interests in music and animal science. She is involved in Pre-Verterinary Medical Association, plays the piccolo in the Auburn University Marching Band and is an ambassador for the Department of Music.

Robinson is an undergraduate research assistant in Dr. William Dozier’s nutrition lab in the Poultry Science Department where she is working to improve poultry nutrition. Additionally, she is assisting Dr. Terry Brandebourg and Natalie Wong, a graduate student in entomology, with a horn fly trial in cattle.

Robinson’s favorite course that she has taken in the College of Agriculture is Animal Metabolism and Nutrition taught by Dr. Marko Rudar. The course has given her beneficial insight that she applies to her assistant research in the Poultry Science Department.

“This class has provided me with knowledge that has allowed me to look back on past experiences I have had in clinical settings,” she said.

Robinson also enjoyed Orientation to Animal Sciences with Dr. Carolyn Huntington.

“She does a great job giving us general overviews of systems in agriculture and how they all intertwine to create the field of agriculture,” Robinson said.

When asked about her favorite Auburn tradition, Robinson shared her excitement and love for the marching band’s pregame traditions, specifically the jog out of the tunnel onto Pat Dye Field.

“It is an experience only some get, but nothing compares to the amount of excitement, nerves and adrenaline that you feel,” she said.

Her favorite memory is from the 2021 Iron Bowl when Auburn and Alabama went into four overtimes.

“As a member of the Auburn Family, I have learned to love the emotional rollercoaster that is Auburn Football,” she said.

Robinson encourages freshmen and future students in the College of Agriculture to ask questions and reach out to professors and upperclassmen.

“The faculty in the COA are some of the most personable and welcoming faculty I have had,” she said.

The network building that upperclassmen, graduates and administration provide is the best resource that new students can use to jumpstart their experience in the College of Agriculture.

After graduation, Robinson hopes to be heading up the road to the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine (AUCVM) to earn a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine and specialize shortly after.

Robinson participated in the inaugural AUCVM Veterinary Intensive Program in the summer of 2022. The VIP program is designed to prepare prospective veterinary students for careers in the veterinary profession. Robinson spent time with AUCVM students and nine other students where she formed close friendships.

“I have made lifelong friendships and had the opportunity to contribute to Auburn’s mission to expand diversity, equity and inclusion in the veterinary profession,” she said.