{"id":2087,"date":"2026-07-23T16:53:37","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T20:53:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/utia.tennessee.edu\/spotlights\/?p=2087"},"modified":"2026-07-23T16:53:45","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T20:53:45","slug":"ally-lay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/utia.tennessee.edu\/spotlights\/ally-lay\/","title":{"rendered":"Ally Lay"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Senior academic advisor at Herbert <\/a>empowers students to navigate their academic journeys and achieve their goals<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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Where are you from, and how did your education and career lead you to the Herbert College of Agriculture?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am from Decatur, Tennessee, in Meigs County. It is a very small town full of some great people. I was always incredibly encouraged by my sister and supported by my parents to pursue my educational goals. In high school, I became highly involved in FFA, leading me to be a Tennessee FFA State Officer my freshman year of college. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I wanted to go to the University of Tennessee to study agriculture, so much so that UT was the only university I applied to!<\/p>\n\n\n