Amanda received her Bachelor of Science degree from Virginia Tech in 2012 in Animal and Poultry Science. Upon graduation, she remained in Blacksburg, VA as Supervisor of the equestrian facility and Riding Instructor for the Department of Animal and Poultry Science at Virginia Tech. In the spring of 2013, Amanda moved to Texas to pursue her graduate career. She received her Master of Science in Animal Science in 2014 with a focus on nutritional mitigation of joint inflammation and maintenance of cartilage integrity. Amanda continued on to pursue a doctoral degree in the same field following completion of her Master’s. She will receive a PhD in Animal Science with a focus in Animal Nutrition in 2019. Her research focuses on optimizing nutrition during pregnancy to prevent metabolic disorders during offspring performance years. She has also performed significant research in basic nutrient digestibility, prebiotic influence on adaptive immune response, and bioavailability of chelated minerals with their effect on joint inflammation.