Falcon Futures: Hands-on opportunities, on-campus job experience help grad prepare for career

 

Falcon Futures: Hands-on opportunities, on-campus job experience help UW-River Falls grad prepare for career in animal science 

June 20, 2026 — Afton Nelson, a May graduate of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, didn’t have long to wait to get started on her career after graduation. The double major in dairy science and animal science from Owatonna, Minn., was able to step right into a job as an embryo export coordinator for GenOvations in Lodi.  

“I heard about the company because we went on a field trip there fall semester for one of my reproduction classes,” said Nelson. 

Nelson, who transferred to UWRF her sophomore year, said getting a look at real-world operations at UWRF’s Mann Valley Farm and other producers like GenOvations was vital in preparing her for a career. 

“All of the hands-on opportunities, I would say, were the biggest thing,” Nelson said. “Especially being in dairy science and animal science, having the ability to go to the farm or other local farms and be able to do ultrasounds and watch the breeding process, it was very beneficial for me.” 

Nelson initially planned to become a large animal veterinarian. When transferring to UWRF, she went back and forth between majoring in animal science or dairy science before realizing it would be easy to double major. Being able to explore her interests through classes helped her find her professional path. 

“I've always been interested in animal reproduction,” she said. “Being able to take these miscellaneous courses actually ended up kind of making my career decision in the long run.” 

Nelson said the one-on-one relationships she was able to build with her professors at UWRF proved she had found the right fit for her education.  

“When I was at a larger university, I felt like none of the professors knew my name and I didn't have the strong connections that I have here,” Nelson said. “All my professors have helped me tremendously.” 

GenOvations offers reproductive services for beef and dairy cattle, sheep and goats, including global embryo distribution. As an embryo export coordinator, Nelson will work with domestic and international clients. 

“I’ll be the main client communication,” Nelson said. “I’ll ensure that the invoices are out, ensuring these valuable embryos are properly packed and shipped to the right places.” 

Nelson said working as a recruitment and enrollment intern in UWRF’s Admissions Office for two and a half years also helped her feel prepared to enter the full-time working world. 

“I gained confidence in answering questions and I feel like it made me very good at time management,” Nelson said. “I’ll be doing very similar work, client communication.” 

During her senior year, Nelson visited UWRF’s Career Services to get help fine tuning her resume. GenOvations was the first job she applied for.  

Her new position is just the beginning for Nelson, who is also excited for her future opportunities.  

“My main thing is growing within a company,” Nelson said. “I’ll eventually get cross-trained into embryology, which is the end goal.” 

Photo: Afton Nelson, a May graduate of UW-River Falls, recently began a new job as an embryo export coordinator at GenOvations in Lodi. Nelson credits hands-on opportunities and on-campus work experience as key ingredients in her successful job search.