Christina Collins

DSU: What made you decide to major in Agri-Business?

CHRISTINA: I actually started as a Marketing major, but switched after speaking with a few people in the College of Agriculture. I met the program leader of DSU’s Cooperative Extension, which helps urban youth get involved in agriculture, who got me thinking about Agri-Business. The college’s dean also encouraged me to give it a try. I grew up in a farm-focused area of southern Delaware, so I was familiar with agriculture and really ended up enjoying it.  

DSU: What was your experience like once you started in the College of Agriculture and Related Sciences?

CHRISTINA: I really liked the small concentration of students in my department. We were able to have a lot of one-on-one interaction with the faculty, who were all very knowledgeable and wanted to help us grow as students and as adults. Additionally, with Delaware State being an 1890 land-grant institution founded on the basis of agriculture, there is a lot of history in the school.

DSU: What other activities were you involved in outside of class?

CHRISTINA: I was involved in the NAACP Unit on campus and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, and I was the secretary of the DSU chapter of Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS). Each of those played an important role for me, especially MANRRS. We traveled to career fairs and other events and volunteered for different organizations. We also invited agriculture companies and vendors to come speak to us, to tell us about opportunities within the company and how our education could tie into those positions.          

That’s how I learned about the 1890s Historically Black Colleges and Universities conference that Monsanto was holding in St. Louis. Myself and a few other Del State students were invited to attend. Thanks to contacts I made at the conference, I was offered an internship with Monsanto for the summer after my junior year.     

DSU: How would you describe your overall experience at DSU?

CHRISTINA: My time at Delaware State was really full of new experiences -- from living on campus and learning to be on my own, to all of the activities I was involved in. There are so many resources for students who are looking to try new things. There were always forums for students to speak with professionals, and the school seemed to have a large variety of contacts for students interested in internships and other opportunities.  The faculty and staff are passionate about helping students find their passions in life, which was really a great environment to be in.