Christina Perez was born and raised in Weslaco, Texas, a town located in deep South Texas, about 15 miles North of the Mexican border.
Christina received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agricultural Development at Texas A&M University and a Master of Science Degree in Agricultural and Extension Education at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
As an undergraduate she was involved in internships and organizations because it was important to her to become well rounded. With the guidance of mentoring by Dr. Gillian Bowser she was able to intern at the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in Tennessee where she worked as a Wildlife Management Intern trapping, and relocating bears, and monitoring elk populations. She held two other internships at the State Fair in Dallas, Texas and the San Antonio Livestock Show and Rodeo working with livestock, and worked for TAMU Department of Academic Scholarships.
Her minor in Poultry Science from Texas A&M University was beneficial when she was hired to work at Sanderson Farms Inc. in Bryan, Texas and Moultrie, Georgia as a Management Trainee. While at The University of Tennessee she worked for and assisted Dr. Jim Neel, a Beef Cattle Extension Specialist in the Animal Science Extension office on campus. The next year she began her graduate teaching assistantship where she was responsible for lecturing and planning for the Agricultural and Extension Education 211 class. Her research thesis focused on the impacts of “Beef Cattle Time” a beef cattle newsletter for beef producers in Tennessee.
Recently, she taught Anatomy and Physiology and Biology at La Feria High School in La Feria, Texas. Currently she is considering long term opportunities available for someone with her qualifications and experience, which is one of the reasons she is very excited to attend the Latinos in Agriculture Leaders Forum!
Christina aspires to become a change agent and an educator in the world of Agriculture.
