Megan Hare (BSEH ’15) works as a Food Technologist in the Research and Development department of JLA Global. JLA Global is a food testing and research laboratory that provides their clients with knowledge and reliable, cost-efficient systems and information to assure that their product safety and performance needs are met. JLA has food testing labs located throughout the United States and internationally. The lab where Megan works in is located in Edenton, NC, which happens to be her hometown.

Recently, her time has been utilized researching, and conducting special projects about the unanswered questions that linger in the world of peanuts, which are the specialty at JLA. When she is not conducting special projects, Megan assists in other R&D projects such as shelf life studies, sensory analyses and seed studies.  She enjoys the variability of her job responsibilities and feels that the Environmental Health major at ECU lead her to this incredible opportunity in her hometown.

A piece of advice to students in the EH program from Megan:

“Really study and pay attention to the material you learn in class because it WILL come in handy when you land a career. Also, don’t choose a job strictly based on pay. It’s so much more important to have a career that you enjoy, because then, you’ll never work a day in your life!”

Photos courtesy of Megan Hare