Crissa Zenk, senior, Webster, S.D.

Eric Ollila, AgBio Communications

Crissa Zenk

In the Service of Agriculture

Senior agronomy major Crissa Zenk has two passions: agriculture and service. While growing up on her family’s Webster-area farm seeded her love of agriculture, her subsequent early involvement in FFA and 4-H exposed her to service.

There was a moment early on, though, prior to enrolling at South Dakota State University, in which Zenk’s thoughts strayed from agriculture. “During my senior year in high school, I had these dreams of pharmacy,” Zenk said. “But as I talked more and more about pharmaceuticals, I really decided I was more interested in the science aspect of the industry. And then I decided I was more interested in the plant science aspect, making drugs from plants. And, eventually, that just turned into, ‘Well, I want to major in agronomy.’”

As an SDSU College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences student, Zenk has had the opportunity to further develop and refine her agricultural and service leanings. From her classes, to her three years as an ABS College ambassador, to her two-year ongoing position as assistant manager of Little International, Zenk has continually sought lessons and activities that call for service in the pursuit of agriculture. “I can’t thank the university enough for giving me the opportunity to serve,” she said.

One of the opportunities an ABS College student has lies in internships. While at least one internship is required for all agronomy majors, ABS College students may also pursue multiple internships. For Zenk, an internship each summer of her collegiate career has been part of her self-imposed service curriculum. After interning the summer after her freshman year with Extension plant pathology at SDSU, Zenk spent the next two summers in positions with Monsanto.

Zenk said her internships exposed her to different aspects of agriculture. While interning with SDSU Extension provided her the opportunity to sharpen her science skills and see “how the University works and how they serve the public,” the Monsanto internships illuminated the corporate world of agriculture. “I really wanted to see the corporation side and see what the business world was like,” said Zenk. “I feel the Monsanto internships grew on each other – the first internship being in the field, at the local level, and this past summer being in the Monsanto world headquarters, seeing how everything fits together.”

But “fitting together” has not been limited to Zenk’s internships. According to Zenk, the mentor relationships she has been able to develop with SDSU staff and faculty have helped her to set and achieve her goals. “Advisers have helped tremendously, and that’s really the mentoring aspect,” Zenk said. “I think they’re able to give you an outlook on life and help you tune into what you want. And they have the experiences to help get you started. Whether in leadership or academics, they’re always there to give you that helping hand.”

But Zenk is also a leader, a mentor, and an example of academic excellence in her own right. Over the last three-plus years, she has served as the South Dakota FFA State Secretary (2004-05), as an ABS College student ambassador (2005-present), as a member of SDSU Little International management (2006-present), and as a member of the 12-person student advisory team for Agriculture Future of America (2006). In addition, Zenk has received National FFA, South Dakota Agribusiness, and Department of Plant Science scholarships.

Zenk said her ABS College student ambassadorship is an example of an activity that has helped her to realize her goal of service; as one of 30 ABS student ambassadors, she has traveled to various high schools and reached out to prospective SDSU ABS College students. “I have a passion for assisting students or just helping them discover their dreams,” Zenk said. “The ambassador program was exactly what I was looking for.”

Tim Nichols, assistant director of academic programs, who has worked with Zenk in the ambassador program, said Zenk is an ideal representative of SDSU. “Crissa’s energy and positive attitude really light up a room,” he said. “Her zest for life and enthusiasm for learning are contagious. She is an outstanding role model who has made the most of her college experiences. Her future is exceedingly bright.”

Expect to see Zenk continue her pursuit of service in the name of agriculture as she both completes her senior year and moves into the world of a post-graduate. “After graduation, I do want to stay on the local level, with farmers, when I start out,” she said. “I want to help them make their choice to farm easier. I want to help them spend more time with their family.”

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Crissa Zenk, senior, Webster, S.D.