Name: Eli Hodge
Hometown: Panama City, FL
Year: Senior
Age: 20
Major: Psychology, minor in Biology
Relationship Status: In a Relationship
—
Her Campus (HC): Let’s start with the basics; what’s your major?
Eli Hodge (EH): I’m a psych major with a minor in biology.
HC: Psych is a really interesting major; there are a lot of fields you can go into with a psychology degree. After college, what do you planning on doing?
EH: I may take a year off before going to grad school, but I want to go to graduate school for genetic counseling.
HC: Tell me a little about genetic counseling. What does a genetic counselor do?
EH: Genetic counselors act as a non-bias intermediate, not swaying people towards one option or the other. They test someone’s genes for specific types of cancers so that their families can be better informed about any preventive measure they should take.
HC: Genetic counseling is extremely important, but it’s also a pretty specific career path to be headed for. How’d you settle upon it?
EH: I knew I wanted to go to graduate school, but I also knew I didn’t want to be a doctor. I’ve always been interested in biology and psychology and how they intertwined, so genetic counseling was perfect.
HC: What do you like about genetic counseling?
EH: You can switch fields if you get tired of one field in genetic counseling. I like having options like that. You can also switch from working in a lab and testing genetics to translating medical terminology so that people can understand it well. Being 20, I’m not exactly sure what I want to do. I have an idea though.
HC: You’re 20 years old and graduating early (congrats on that, by the way!). How does that feel?
EH: Bittersweet. I’m a senior by credits but this year I’ve really gotten established and involved.
Courtesy: Eli Hodge
HC: What RSOs or clubs on campus are you involved in?
EH: I’m in Campus Band – I play percussion.
HC: That’s awesome! Where on campus can we go to get down on some good music?
EH: Campus Band is playing with the orchestra, which is cool because normally we have separate concerts, but for this concert we’re playing together. Our concert is the 22nd at 8 p.m. at Opperman Music Hall. It’s free for students!
HC: What other organizations or clubs are you a part of on campus?
EH: I’m a part of PRIDE at FSU.
HC: Florida State has one of the most active PRIDE organizations in Florida. It’s pretty cool that we get to go to a university where PRIDE has such a presence on campus. What’s your favorite thing about PRIDE? Are there any upcoming events you recommend?
EH: My favorite thing about PRIDE is that people are introduced with their name and pronouns. October is PRIDE month, so [I recommend] all of those events really!
HC: In addition to being in a Campus band and being involved with PRIDE, you’ve also got a big heart for animals, right?
EH: I’ve been a vegetarian for 6 years and I love dogs. I volunteer at Cauzican with my girlfriend, and I’ve fostered dogs. I have three dogs right now.
HC: What kind of volunteering do you do with Cauzican?
EH: They have Saturday dog washes and adoption events.
HC: You mentioned that you were a vegetarian. Not many people realize how possible that is, especially for guys! What prompted you to become a vegetarian?
EH: I never really meat growing up as a kid, and I also don’t like the industry. Killing to survive in the wild is one thing, but the way meat is a business and these animals are mistreated and in tiny cages brought up just to kill is a whole other thing.
HC: Finally, before we end the interview, any thoughts on the 2016 election?
EH: Bernie Sanders.