A fermentation sciences major, Tess Goldberger had four job offers before she walked across the stage at her May graduation ceremony.

By the end of July, she had six. “I ended up taking a job as the quality assurance technician at Sycamore Brewing in Charlotte,” Goldberger said.

“I feel our program really prepared me. The hands-on experience I had was the most helpful thing I could have had in preparation.”

Goldberger is now eyeing her next career move. “The knowledge and experience Appalachian provided me in this program has allowed me to comfortably look in other job markets, like wine and medical,” she said.

She remembered always having an interest in fermentation, something her family supported with side trips on family vacations. “In San Francisco, I toured the sourdough factory; in Portugal I saw a cheese factory and the Douro Valley vineyards; and when I turned 21, my dad and I attempted to do all of the brewery tours in Asheville,” she said.  

“I always wanted to understand how things worked,” Goldberger said.

A study abroad to France while she was enrolled at Appalachian deepened her knowledge of how wine is made.

“The chance to study wine in France was a dream,” Goldberger said. “I learned more about wine than I could have imagined. It really helped in the wine production and sensory class I took the following semester.”