Hometown: Meridian, Idaho
Major: Biology
Graduation: 2014
“CWI empowered me with a degree,” said 2014 graduate, Anjulie Thompson. “I wouldn’t have the job I have without it.”
Anjulie was inspired to attend college after her sister enrolled at College of Western Idaho (CWI).
“I was working at a tractor dealership and was not happy with my job. I wanted to find a better job, but was not sure what I wanted to do for a career. I decided to take a few classes at CWI to find out what I really wanted to do with my life.”
She soon discovered her love for Biology.
“My favorite class was Microbiology. In this class we were given the opportunity to grow a colony of bacteria off of any surface we wanted. I chose the bottom of my shoe. Throughout the semester, we performed tests on our colony and recorded the results. At the end of the semester we took all of the data we had collected and worked to decipher what type of bacteria we had been working with. As far as I could tell, I had Cilium bacterium, which can be found in the soil of East Africa or in dog feces. Since I have never been to East Africa, the only conclusion was I had dog poo on the bottom of my shoes. When I gave my presentation, I received a lot of laughs for my results. My project, called The Pet Project, was the most fun I had in college.”
Today, Anjulie uses the skills of transferring bacteria and keeping a colony alive she learned at CWI in her career as a Media Production Technician at Udder Health Systems Inc, a company that provides milk quality and food testing services for the dairy industry.
“I make agar or media to grow bacteria on – the very thing I used for The Pet Project. I love starting with simple ingredients, adding waters, then seeing the end product. It’s really a lot of fun.”
Planning to remain in the biology field long-term, Anjulie is happy to have discovered a career she enjoys.
“Because of CWI, I found confidence in myself and know I can do anything I want. I absolutely love CWI!”
