This year, Purdue Dining & Catering is adding an exciting new position! Meet the Dining Ambassadors, your envoys into the world of food. Our job is focused on helping Purdue Dining & Catering make good things happen. We work to accomplish this goal in a variety of ways, from going out and speaking to the public about new ways to experience Purdue Dining, to stopping by dining courts and restaurants on campus to make sure the products we promote are up to Purdue Dining & Catering standards. We share the responsibilities of running Dining & Catering’s social media pages and planning events, like the upcoming Halloween Party at The Gathering Place and the Gingerbread Contest later this year!
Sarah and Amanda will be in charge of writing this blog, as well as working on articles to inform our community about the cool events Dining & Catering is cooking up, so make sure you stop by every Friday for a new post! We’ve included some short biographies about the whole team below so that you can get to know us a little better!
Amanda Evans
Place you call home: Charlestown, Ind./Louisville, Ky.
Something you’d like people to know about your home: I’ve never even seen the giant baseball bat
Major/minor: Double major in Professional Writing and Anthropology
Year: Sophomore
Thing you’re most excited about this year: Applying for the Disney College Program!
If you could only eat one food item for a whole day, what would it be? Queso
Something you enjoy that is unique: I love to knit!
If everything goes according to plan, in five years you will be: Working for the Walt Disney Company
Dream that you hope to accomplish someday just for fun: Wedding planning business on the side
Sarah Nolan
Place you call home: From Elkhart, Ind., but also Purdue is very much home for me.
Something you’d like people to know about your home: Home is where my dog,Shadow, my cat Waffles, and my book collection are.
Major/minor: Major in English, with minors in Creative Writing and Gender Studies
Year: Junior
Thing you’re most excited about this year: I’m very excited to start looking into grad school and reading books for class.
If you could only eat one food item for a whole day, what would it be? I would eat sushi and drink Diet Coke.
Something you enjoy that is unique: Orchestra Performances. I played violin for years, and I still really enjoy going to orchestra music.
If everything goes according to plan, in five years you will be: In grad school, working on my Ph.D.
Dream that you hope to accomplish someday just for fun: I would love to go Russia and visit the Kostroma Moose Farm so that I could pet a real moose.
Sofia Draper
Place you call home: Wabash, Ind.
Something you’d like people to know about your home: It was the first electrically-lit city in the world.
Major/minor: Psychology major, Sociology and Human Development and Family Studies
Year: Senior
Thing you’re most excited about this year: I’m excited to finish my senior bucket list with my roommates and get ready for grad school.
If you could only eat one food item for a whole day, what would it be? PIZZA! (insert pizza emoji & heart eyes emoji)
Something you enjoy that is unique: Disney! I even have a Disney tattoo.
If everything goes according to plan, in five years you will be: working in a university in an advising or orientation office with my Master’s in Higher Education & Student Affairs
Dream that you hope to accomplish someday just for fun: I want to go skydiving some day & also set foot on all 7 continents.
Emerald Obie
Place you call home: Wherever my family is. Currently, that is Indianapolis.
Something you’d like people to know about your home: Indianapolis is a beautiful place and it is definitely a nice area to grow up in. Many students want to leave Indiana at the first chance they get, but Indy has a great deal of hidden gems that make it unique and I’m proud to call it home.
Major/Minor: Major in Brain and Behavioral Sciences; Minor in Classical Studies
Year: Senior
Thing you’re most excited about this year: I am most excited about conducting my own cognitive psychology experiments.
If you could eat one food item for a whole day, what would it be? FRUIT.
Something you enjoy that is unique: I enjoy music from all over the world. The genre can vary from Korean Pop to Soca. I am all about it.
If everything goes according to plan, in five years you will be: Finishing my Ph.D. in Cognitive/Behavioral Neuroscience
Dream that you hope to accomplish someday just for fun: I would love to travel to as many countries as I can and collect a unique souvenir from each place.
Kelly Bangert
Place you call home: Richardson, Texas
Something you’d like people to know about your home: I am an only child with very supportive parents. Although we don’t have pets anymore, I have the cuddliest most adorable kitty ever at my apartment here in West Lafayette named Aeva.
Major/minor: Industrial Management with a concentration in Engineering
Year: Senior
Thing you’re most excited about this year: Finally having courses related to what I’m interested in doing with my professional career. I’m also excited about this job.
If you could only eat one food item for a whole day, what would it be? Pasta!
Something you enjoy that is unique: Singing, dancing, and drawing, napping, cuddling with my kitty
If everything goes according to plan, in five years you will be: Fulfilled with a career I’m passionate about, living in a positive environment with my cat and boyfriend/friend in a big city with charitable ties to the community.
Dream that you hope to accomplish someday just for fun: Skydiving!
Faridat Folarin-Amode
Place you call home: Lagos, Nigeria and Chicago, Ill.
Major/Minor: Neurobiology and Physiology/Chemistry and Psychology
Year: Senior
Thing You’re Most excited about this year: Since I am graduating in May, my two roommates and I decided to come up with a Purdue Bucket list. I can’t wait to tick everything off as done!
If you could only eat one food item for a whole day, what would it be? Avocados! They literally go with anything.
Something you enjoy that is unique? I love planning things mostly because it is always fun to see things I planned come to fruition.
If everything goes according to plan, in five years you will be: Graduating medical school!
Dreams that you hope to accomplish someday just for fun: I hope to have traveled all over the word at least to every continent and also visit a large amount of the states in the USA. I feel wanderlust, and I would love to just travel everywhere, sightsee and take pictures!
Samantha Liu
Place you call home: California
Something you’d like people to know about your home: We have TESLA in our city.
Major/Minor: Hospitality & Tourism Management major; Art and Design minor, Certificate in Acting: Communication through Performance
Year: Third
Thing you’re most excited about this year: I am most excited this year to be back in time for this fall season!
If you could only eat one food item for a whole day, what would it be? I would eat frozen grapes all day with a side of avocados.
Something you enjoy that is unique: I enjoy the smell of Swiffer Sweeper Wet Mopping Refills.
If everything goes according to plan, in five years you will be: In five years I will be out of debt from student loans, having lived in Australia for at least a full year, and have become an experienced Cruise Director, living back in Los Angeles with my Collection of Cameras and Lenses.
Dream that you hope to accomplish someday just for fun: I hope to have lived in each continent for at least a year each.
Shrikar Peri
Place you call home: Hyderabad, India
Something you’d like people to know about your home: According to a global survey, Hyderabad happens to be the best Indian city to live in.
Major: Computer Science
Year: Sophomore
Thing you’re most excited about this year: Study abroad at Cambridge University!
If you could eat only one food item for a whole day, what would it be? Rice.
Something you enjoy that is unique: I enjoy listening to all genres of music.
If everything goes according to plan, in five years you will be: A cybersecurity analyst.
Dream that you hope to accomplish someday just for fun: Building a startup company.
Vrushal Maniyar
Place you call home: Pune, India
Something you’d like people to know about your home: I have a very short and sweet family with my mom, dad and sister.
Major/minor: Mechanical Engineering and Management
Year: First-year grad student
Thing you’re most excited about this year: To meet new people, know them, understand their taste and their culture
If you could only eat one food item for a whole day, what would it be? Rice and curry
Something you enjoy that is unique: I enjoy spending time in researching about things that fascinate me.
If everything goes according to plan, in five years you will be: An entrepreneur
Dream that you hope to accomplish someday just for fun: Win a poker game at a Las Vegas casino like James Bond
Harpreet Kaur
Place you call home: Matteo (A coffee café in India, I’m hunting for its replica here)
Something you’d like people to know about your home: Serves amazing coffee and chocolate delicacies
Major/Minor: MBA
Year: First Year MBA Student
Thing you’re most excited about this year: Experiencing a new phase of life
If you could have only one food item for a whole day, what would it be: Chocolate
Something you enjoy that is unique: Being the host (especially cooking and serving friends)
If everything goes according to the plan, in five years you’ll be: I would have traveled five more continents of the world (Antarctica is too cold and I am from Asia which leaves me with five more options). I prefer to make it to at least four so that my bucket list feels a lot lighter!
See you next week!
Sarah & Amanda
Purdue Dining & Culinary 