Derek O'Dea

My name is Derek O'Dea. I am currently a 3rd year student at UMass Amherst enrolled in Turfgrass Management in the Stockbridge School of Agriculture. After studying undecided for 2 years, I held a landscaping job this past summer, and fell in love with it. I love to work outside and with my hands, so I chose turfgrass because it is similar to landscaping in a few ways.

I love going to class now and learning about soils, different types of grass, insects, and all of the other things that go along with this major. This summer I am taking an intership at Seawane Club, a private links golf course in Long Island, and I am super excited. I can't wait to actually start working in the turfgrass industry. My future plans are to gain all the experience and knowledge in this field necessary to become a superintendant of my own golf course one day. Wish me luck!

I also enjoy sports, mainly basketball, baseball, football, hockey, and golf. Beside that, I'm just you're average everyday guy who likes to work hard and have fun.