Like many students, Jillian Raiger’s college journey wasn’t linear. The Human Physiology & Nutrition major transferred to UCCS after exploring other university and curriculum options, and it was here that she finally felt at home.
“What immediately comes to mind is that I’m so grateful for this experience because I had a bad experience in other colleges, and UCCS has kind of healed that for me,” Jillian shared. “I really like that it’s a smaller school, a commuter school. The classes are small, the professors know you. I feel right at home and like I’m a part of the community, which is really nice since I’m not from this area, but am able to feel like I’ve contributed in some way.”
“I am from California originally and I came to UCCS as a transfer student,” she added. “Before, I was at a nursing school in Hawaii and I realized I didn’t really like it, and that I wanted a more holistic route than nursing.”
After realizing nursing wasn’t for her, but still interested in health and wellbeing, Jillian explored other avenues and decided to go with her gut – in more ways than one.
“When I started, I planned to work in a hospital setting still, but as a registered dietitian,” she said. “Then with the internships and my work with Dr. Harris, my interest in gut health really increased. It’s so interesting to me, along with women’s health and the endocrine system overall. I’m planning to apply to the graduate program, and I’d like to group them all together in some way. This institution has really opened my eyes to possibilities – I could have my own business if I wanted to, or work as a traveling registered dietician.”
Jillian emphasized how useful those hands-on experiences were and the value of connecting with professors while in school.
“You can just go through and take all your classes and be done, but it’s really about the people that you reach out to, those extra experiences and those professors that you work with that are going to make your college experience the best,” she said. “There’s so many people out there willing to help you. And it makes your employment experience better for you if you are willing to work with professors, reach out to them and ask them about internships.”
Jillian participated on multiple research projects with several professors during her studies. One involved working with UCCS freshmen to teach them therapeutic communication skills with older adults, research she conducted with Judy Scott, Ph.D., and Joey Lee, Ph.D., that was accepted for a journal.
“We gave them a quiz before the class and after the class and also did an immersion experience, which was a cooking class in the Lane Center kitchen, with older adults from the community and then some of those students as well,” said Jillian. “We found that if the students did the in-class teaching and the cooking class, their quiz scores increased. It was really fun to put together and it got me out of my comfort zone.”
Jillian also previously worked with Professor Margaret Harris, Ph.D., in Harris’s gut microbiome class, which was a significant factor in Jillian gaining interest in the gut health specialization, and is partnering with her again this semester for a study on omega-3.
“Dr. Scott has been the biggest role model for me and pushed me to do things that I really didn’t think I could do, and Dr. Lee has taught me so much about the data analysis side of research,” Jillian said. “It’s really interesting to work with three professors who all have a different style of writing and to come together and write thousands of words for one journal. It’s been a very long process, but I’ve learned so much.”
Even when Jillian does leave UCCS and Colorado Springs to further explore her career, she’s open to the idea of returning to work on campus and the place she’s found another home at.
“I feel so at home here,” said Jillian. “I met some great friends and I’ve had the best college experience here. My college path has taken a long time, but I feel like I ended up where I was meant to be. I do want to travel around and see where I’d like to live the rest of my life. I’d like to see another place and I definitely miss the beaches. But in the future would I like to work at UCCS, if that’s possible, and give back to the people that have given me so much.”