Entering the work force after graduation is difficult enough, but one ISU student has an unusual competitor for jobs — her mother.

Danielle Etzel, senior in food science, competed against her mother for professional opportunities at this year’s Career Fair.

As she handed her r‚sum‚s over to potential employers, she kept getting funny looks.

“Didn’t I talk to you already?” employers asked, as they pulled out the r‚sum‚ of another student named Etzel from their stack.

“I had to explain, ‘yeah, I know her,’ ” Danielle said. “‘She’s my mother.’ “

Both Danielle and her mother, Terri, will graduate from Iowa State this December with a degree in food science. Danielle and Terri are natives of Iowa, but moved to Georgia several years ago. Terri did some undergraduate work in the area of dietetics at Iowa State in the late 1970s, but decided to focus on raising her two children.

Danielle first came to Iowa State in 1998 because of the reputation of its food science program. When Terri decided to go back to school, she followed her daughter and returned to Iowa.

“I think the extra spark [to attend Iowa State] was the fact that Danielle was so comfortable here,” Terri said.

Because both are food science majors, their relationship did not go unnoticed by the classmates and professors they shared.

“We’ve had quite a few classes together,” Danielle said. “Most of them have been labs where we’re in groups and the teachers have had to make sure to split us up.”

Danielle said classmates of the two are often surprised to find out they are related.

“Most of them know now, but not all of them did know at the beginning of the semester,” she said. “It’s kind of funny to see their reactions when they do find out.”

The two have been more than classmates. This semester, Danielle served as a teaching assistant for a class Terri was taking.

Terri said Danielle doesn’t show any favoritism to her in the class.

“She treats me just like everybody else,” Terri said. “I’m just another student in the class to her.”

Because Danielle mainly works behind-the-scenes in the class, Danielle said there haven’t been any awkward moments.

“It has been helpful because I’ve had the class before so she’ll ask me questions about it,” Danielle said.

Both mother and daughter agree there are benefits to attending the same university.

“Normally when you call home, you tell your parents about what’s going on,” Danielle said. “This way I have a parent who is actually going through it too, so they don’t think it’s just me complaining.”

Terri said it has been very helpful to bounce ideas about classwork off her daughter.

“She’s been really good on advice on my schedule and how I had to plan it all so I could get everything in,” Terri said.

Neither Danielle nor Terri could think of any downsides of having the other in school, but Terri said she suspects she has embarrassed Danielle before.

“I know sometimes she’s a little more reserved than I am — she’s more like her dad,” Terri said. “I’m more the vocal type … one day in class, she said ‘Shh, Mom, I can hear you talking.’ “

Although the two have studied together a handful of times, it is always in a group with other students.

“I have to study harder than Danielle does,” Terri said. “She can look at the notes real quick and I have to really work at it.”

Terri said the fact the two are both food science majors is largely a coincidence but they do have a long history of cooking together.

“She’s worked in the kitchen since she was old enough to stir cookie dough,” Terri said of Danielle. “She’s always liked different types of food … we took a cake decorating class once and she did a whole lot better than me.”

Danielle said she and her mother have taken turns cooking for each other during their years here at Iowa State.

“She liked having people over to cook for, and I’ll, in turn, have her over once in a while and make dinner,” she said.

Danielle also has a brother, Bryan, who attends the University of Georgia.

“I think sometimes he’s jealous because Mom has me over and cooks me dinner, but he’s glad that she’s getting her college education,” she said.

After graduation, Terri plans on beginning work right away, and Danielle said she is keeping her options open. They plan on celebrating their graduation together with family and friends.