Carrie James has always loved animals and she began pursuing this passion in high school by working at a veterinary clinic. She then began her undergrad at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale majoring in Animal Sciences. She discovered a love for nutrition in her course work and began to pursue opportunities in research. She assisted in a swine nutrition study as well as multiple equine palatability and working canine studies. From these experiences, she decided to pursue companion animal nutrition and she was accepted into the master’s degree program under Dr. Maria R.C. de Godoy. She looks forward to learning more about companion animal nutrition and taking that knowledge to the pet food industry after graduation.