By Lara Ivanitch

NC State University alumna Jackie Collins believes in exploring all of her options. As an undergraduate, she tried to experience as much of college life as she could, joining intramural teams, serving as president of the campus chapter of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) and spending summers engaged in wildly different internships — like teaching children horse etiquette at the Biltmore House’s equestrian center and conducting bioassays as a lab technician in a parasitology unit.  

As a student in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, she relished that the program crossed into other disciplines and departments, allowing her to learn about topics from wheat science to green roofs in addition to engineering.  

Today, as a supplier development manager at Livingston and Haven, she continues to extend herself in different directions. She manages the company’s network of fluid power component manufacturers for the e-commerce division. She also works to attract new suppliers, assists with the company’s training program and helps with marketing its online presence.  

The 2015 graduate shows her appreciation of her time in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in a variety of ways and nurtures the connections she made by staying involved with the department. 

She mentors seniors working on their design projects and helps with career fairs on campus. She has participated in professional development workshops and served on the biological and agricultural engineering department’s advisory board. And each year, when the university’s Day of Giving rolls around, she supports the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering.  

“I think what they’re doing there is great — the research, the professors, the staff. I want to keep that going however I can,” Collins says. She hopes her efforts will help the department continue to affect students’ lives the way it did her own.  

Looking Back 

When Collins reflects on her time at NC State, the relationships she formed with other students and professors stand out.

“Within the bio and ag engineering department, I felt like everybody was a close-knit family,” she explains.

Collins found Michael Boyette’s senior design class particularly valuable. Boyette spent time discussing topics like ethics, working as part of a team and other relevant “real-world” skills.

“He had a big impact on a lot of students,” Collins says. 

In 2015, Collins earned her bachelor’s degree in biological and agricultural engineering with a concentration in environmental engineering. As a student, she focused on storm water engineering and planned to follow the path of her father, who owns an environmental contracting business. Instead, she took a different direction because of the senior design class. 

“Dr. Boyette brought in outside industry professionals to talk to the class about what they do in their careers with engineering degrees,” Collins says. She credits this type of exposure for opening her eyes to career options beyond design engineering.  

When an engineer from Livingston and Haven visited class, Collins learned that the company, as a value-add distributor, works to design and develop systems for many types of manufacturers. At the time, she didn’t consider the company as a possible workplace, but as president of ASABE, she invited the firm to the club’s career fair.  

The folks at Livingston and Haven later approached Collins about interviewing for their associate development program. When they hired her, she thought, “This is a completely different field than what I was studying and doing in school.” 

Ongoing Impact 

Although Collins jumped from the environmental side of engineering to manufacturing and hydraulic fluid power design, she incorporates lessons she learned as a biological and agricultural engineering major into her work almost daily.  

Whether Collins is creating specs for components or troubleshooting problems, she finds herself returning to fundamental principles of engineering.

“You might not use every equation that you learn in school, but you learn how to have that critical thinking and problem-solving mindset,” she says.

Paying It Forward 

Collins learned about the Michael D. “Mike” Boyette Undergraduate BAE Endowment in 2020, and she immediately knew she would designate her Day of Giving contribution to support it. 

She was drawn to the endowment because it is awarded to a biological and agricultural engineering student to work within the department, which she did as an undergraduate. The flexible hours were compatible with her busy schedule as an engineering student in ways traditional jobs were not, and she gained experience relevant to her career. 

Collins encourages all alumni to participate in NC State Day of Giving. “If something impacts you or makes a difference in your life, I think it’s important to give back, contribute and reciprocate in the ways you can.” 

This post was originally published in College of Agriculture and Life Sciences News.