Amanda Lay-Walters is a Ph.D. candidate in the Horticulture department at the University of Arkansas. She grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina before attending North Carolina State University for her bachelors and masters. Amanda is an active member of the department’s graduate student journal club and graduate student organization. Her doctoral research focuses on nutrient management for southeastern blackberry production. After graduation, Amanda aims to pursue a career in academia where she can continue to research nutrient management, production, and physiology of fruit crops and teach students interested in similar topics.