Lover of horses, humans, and UAlbany
1.What is your major, year and expected graduation date?
Human biology with a minor psychology – expected to graduate May 2015.
2. What does your role as President of the Equestrian Society involve?
I have a lot of responsibility as the President of the UAlbany Equestrian Team. I oversee both the competitive and non-competitive Western and English riders. I deal a lot with the university making sure we are satisfying the needs of the university for club sports, design a lesson schedule, make sure all the riders have proper equipment and to have our competition teams ready and entered in competitions.
3. What is an average week in the Equestrian society like for you and your members?
An average week is lessons during the week, Tuesday – Friday. Our competitions are usually on Saturdays so during the week we have show practices which are extra hard. Everyone tries to get their show clothes ready more or less, clean their boots, and tune up in practice before the shows. Horse shows are usually Saturdays so Friday nights we will all “try” to get to bed early, we compete all day Saturday, recover Sunday/Monday and then we are back to lessons on Tuesdays!
4. Are you involved with any other activities on campus or outside of school?
I am the Vice President of UAlbany’s volunteer ambulance corp. I am a crew chief, so I run emergency calls and command a crew of trained medical providers. I ride on the ambulance more hours than I ride horses, probably 20-30 hours a week. Other than that, I’m an avid gym-goer (about 6 days a week) and I try to go out on the weekends when I can to hang with friends and blow off some steam.
5. Why would you recommend joining the Equestrian Society (or any other society) at UAlbany?
UAlbany has a lot to offer! The bare minimum is going to class and then going back to your room. That’s not “going to college” that’s “taking classes”. Going to a university is the whole package which includes joining clubs and groups. You will remember these organizations more than what class you took fall semester, sophomore year. The equestrian club has been an amazing experience for me. I’ve met so many life-long friends and it’s such a great stress reliever. It also keeps you in shape and gives you some time off campus to get some fresh air and forget about the stress of exams and living away from home.
6. What are some of your highlights being a UAlbany Student?
There’s always something to do on and off campus. We have outdoor concerts, cool guest speakers, fun restaurants and bars. We have carnivals and fairs with lots of free giveaways – a college student’s favorite words. We also have excellent academics with a lot of resources available to students including a writing help center, resume reviews, and free tutoring for some courses. My highlights were definitely joining the equestrian club and rising in level of competition to become president and captain. I have a lot of great ribbons and experiences. Joining the ambulance corp was also a life-changing experience that I am so thankful I did. At the end of the day my highlights come down to all the friends I’ve made. I can’t walk to class without seeing a few people I know to say hi to and chat with. Those friendships are so valuable and are the sole reason I have had an amazing college experience.
7. What do you plan to do once you graduate?
I have a few plans after I graduate. I’m going to get back into full-time riding like I did before school. I may go to paramedic school and make some money for a year or two and then apply to physician assistant school. I hope to continue riding and being involved in emergency medicine.
8. And finally, what will you miss about UAlbany once you graduate?
Everything! I’ll miss my friends, the riding team, and working on the ambulance. I had a really great high school experience, and I feel like my college experience was equally as amazing. I’ll miss the freedom of college and how you can do anything you put your mind to. This is the one time in your life you have a lot of control over what you do in life. Take advantage of it 1000%.
And if you want to keep up to date with all the things Amy does while horse riding, you can follow her blog at https://letamyridezone2region3openfences.wordpress.com/
Photos Courtesy of Amy Benenson