Growing up in Lewisporte, Newfoundland, a small bayside town heavily tied to the ocean, Sophie Cramm felt drawn to study marine biology. Dal's Truro Start program was appealing as it would enable her to begin her degree in a place that felt more intimate like home.听
"The option to complete my first year in a smaller town like Truro felt like a better transition for me," she says.听
The option to complete my first year in a smaller town like Truro felt like a better transition for me.
Sophie was the first person in her family to pursue post-secondary education outside of her home province. While she had worked at a local greenhouse during high school and enjoyed growing and caring for plants, being on the Agriculturual Campus provided her first introduction to animal agriculture. With Truro Start, students get their studies underway in a close-knit cohort with dedicated resources and support on a smaller campus in their chosen field before transitioning to Halifax for their second and final years.
That was Sophie's plan 鈥� until it wasn't.听
鈥淚n my first year I got really involved on campus with College Royal, milking shifts, and volunteering with the sheep," she says. "I also made a friend who was from a farm in the [Annapolis] Valley, which I visited a couple times during my first year."
A new direction
Through these experiences, Sophie realized she loved being involved with animals and switched to the Faculty of Agriculture in her second year after a class in Animal Agriculture.
鈥淭hat course was the first time I really got to have hands-on experience with the animals, and I fell in love with them,鈥� she says. 鈥淎griculture is a very rewarding career and one that plays a huge role in keeping our society moving.鈥�
She quickly immersed herself in the culture.
Sophie graduates this spring as part of the Class of 2026 with a degree in Animal Science and minor in Environmental Science.
Life beyond the classroom
Sophie鈥檚 time on campus was not all about the animals. She also played rugby all four years and completed one semester with the loggersports team. Throughout her degree, she was also a regular at noon-time yoga with Joy,听 volunteered at the Ruminant Animal Centre, and joined the Run Club.
鈥淚 think that being heavily involved in campus life throughout my degree has really enhanced the experience and made me really get the most out of my time,鈥� she added.听听
Agriculture is a very rewarding career and one that plays a huge role in keeping our society moving.
As for the future, Sophie would love to work in sustainable agriculture, incorporating both her major and minor into her work.
鈥淎griculture is a very rewarding career and one that plays a huge role in keeping our society moving,鈥� said Sophie. 鈥淚 see myself with a hands-on job working with animals and the environment, trying to constantly improve animal welfare and their impact on the environment.鈥澨�