Kirby always had a keen interest in food. She wanted to focus her career around food, but she wasn’t sure in what way. Early aspirations of becoming a cook or a baker led to her creating her own food-based Instagram account and eventually studying nutrition and dietetics.  

“During my junior year, I went abroad to Greece. While I was there, I realized I cared less about the actual exact composition of the food I was eating, and more about whether it was cool or fun,” Kirby said. 

After Kirby made the switch, she experienced the breadth of opportunities that food and agribusiness marketing and management offers undergraduate students. 

“The classes are really interactive,” Kirby said. “I took a food marketing class with Prof. John Bernard that really got my mind going about what I can do where I can go.” 

“Food and agribusiness marketing and management offers all of your traditional business and marketing skills and even economics and analysis, but tailored to the food and agriculture industry,” said Kelly Davidson, assistant professor of applied economics. “Students come out with this really wide breadth of knowledge, but a specialized application of it.” 

FABM alumni land in jobs across many industries, but they’re specifically well-positioned for myriad food and agriculture jobs, where candidates are in-demand.

“Food and agriculture often has more jobs available than graduates available to fill those jobs,” Davidson said. “So there are high employment opportunities and high demand for graduates of our program.”

Davidson advises UD’s chapter of the National Agri Marketing Association (NAMA). Unsurprisingly, Kirby is heavily involved, working with her fellow Blue Hens on developing marketing plans for food- and agriculture-based products and services. After an academic year of ideating and fine-tuning market research, these UD undergraduates present their marketing ideas during a national competition. Kirby and her fellow club members competed in the 2024 edition in April, earning high marks for their presentation skills. 

“Students go through everything from research and development, understanding market needs, potential demands, financial analysis for what it would cost to make the product as well as marketing financials,” Davidson said.

The process starts anew each fall, when UD students enrolled in Strategic Marketing Competition (APEC 412) analyze market trends and different product ideas they could potentially bring to market. 

“NAMA is a fabulous experience and it really puts all your marketing skills to the test and strengthens your knowledge,” Kirby said.

Blue Hens and students have competed against the top undergraduates around the country nearly early spring for the past 30 years. Retired UD faculty member Carl Toensmeyer launched the NAMA chapter at UD more than 35 years ago, and the chief objective remains giving UD students exposure to authentic food and agribusiness marketing career experiences and networking opportunities.

“Hannah is exactly the kind of student that you would want in a food and agribusiness marketing position,” Davidson said. “She’s really dedicated and motivated and asks intriguing questions that add to dynamic conversations.”

Kirby also began research within the UD Center for Experimental and Applied Economics in the spring of 2024. Working with UD faculty members and graduate students on topics at the nexus of agriculture and the environment, Kirby will take part in the center’s research and dissemination of results — all with the goal of informing policy and promoting sustainability.

“Her ability to think about real-world applications is really important, and it’s going to really serve her well in her future career because she’s got her marketing lens on and she thinks beyond the classroom,” Davidson said.  

Kirby, who has her sights set on working for a small business, feels her background in nutrition only enhanced her food and agribusiness skillset. Her early UD courses provided valuable background knowledge when entering the career field centered on food. 

“My biggest advice to other students is that if you feel like you need to switch majors, do it,” Kirby said. “It’s worth graduating with something that you’ll be happy with the rest of your life.”