Corban University Graduates First Four-year Cohort of Agriculture Science Students
This year marks the graduation of the Corban University Agriculture Science program’s first cohort of students to complete all four years in the still-new program. What began as a small group of freshmen stepping into an untested major has grown into a tight-knit community of graduates ready to step into the agricultural field with purpose and conviction.
“They were a group of excited yet slightly nervous 18-year-olds embarking on a bit of an unknown adventure,” recalls Director of Agriculture Science, Dr. Susie Nelson. “They didn’t know each other, didn’t talk much, and, like the ag program itself, were still finding their footing on campus.”
Over the past four years, that adventure has included the launch of seven new agriculture courses, real-world skills labs, hands-on internships, and deep, lasting connections with local industry professionals. Students have engaged with the agricultural community while helping shape the program itself. “It has been a privilege to watch these students grow, not just academically, but as leaders and people of conviction,” says Senior Development Officer, Scott Sherman. “They have learned to solve real world problems and serve others through their work.”
For students like Jenny McKinnon, an ag science major and intercultural studies minor, the program offered both breadth and integration. “The highlight for me has been the wide variety of things I’ve been able to study,” she says. “I’ve learned how to integrate ag science into my ministry courses, and vice versa.”
This integration of faith and discipline is a defining feature of the program which stands as the only Christian ag science program on the West Coast.
For fellow graduate, Mitchell Trautman, being part of the program from the beginning meant watching it grow while gaining valuable real-world experience. “Being there in its infancy and seeing it grow has been a privilege,” he says. “The support that this program has from the University and the ag community makes for such a very tight knit community.”
Internships proved especially formative. “It’s been invaluable,” Trautman says. “You can learn about all the theory that you want in a classroom, but you’re not really going to understand it until you’re out there doing it.”
As these graduates step into careers across agriculture and beyond, they carry both practical skills and a clear sense of calling. For Nelson, Sherman, and all those who had a hand in planting this program and watching it grow, it is clear that Corban’s first cohort of ag science graduates leaves behind more than just four years of hard work. They’re leaving behind fertile soil that will benefit the many others who will follow in their footsteps.
