Avery Armstrong
Hometown:
Grand Ledge, MI
Favorite Color:
Forest Green
Favorite Movie/Musical Singer or Group
either Eagles or Metro Boomin
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
Playing Destiny 2 and Cities: Skylines on the PS5 or watching as much college football as possible.
Degree in Progress:
PhD in Epidemiology
What inspired your interest in pursuing your degree?
I’ve always been interested in diseases and how they spread as well as how they affect our society
Why did you choose to study at MSU?
Growing up in the Lansing area, I spent a lot of time on campus whether that be going to MSU athletics events, the dairy store, or 4H gardens, and as a result I grew to love the campus and its atmosphere. Because of this, when I was deciding where to go to for grad school, MSU became my number one choice
What has been one of your best experiences within graduate school so far?
Being able to participate in firsthand data collection as part of a state-wide survey of food banks.
What do you want others to know about this program?
The classes here involve a lot of class participation, which was a little scary at first, but once I learned that being wrong sometimes is ok, I really began to feel more comfortable in both my knowledge of the content and my ability to present an argument to others.
What are some of the best things about being an MSU/Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics student?
The department has a really good network of connections, so if one person can’t help you, they can direct you to someone who can, whether that’s in the department or someone outside MSU.
Any thoughts or advice for current students?
Create a good/organized way to store your notes from your first-year classes, especially if you have to take a qualifying exam. Making study guides for exams is also a great way to find out what you need to know and what you need to study more on.