Her Story
About Abigail
Abigail Hankins, who goes by Abby, is a professional in agricultural sciences based in the Greater St. Louis area of Missouri. She graduated from Truman State University in 2022 with a background in agricultural sciences, including minors in Spanish and environmental studies, and later focused on horticultural plant sciences. With four years of experience, she previously worked at Bayer Crop Sciences in Creve Coeur before joining the small startup Solis Agrosciences, where her role centers on molecular biology applications in agriculture, including plant transformations, copy call analysis, and grow-out services tailored to client needs. Hankins is passionate about making an impact in biosciences through environmentally sustainable practices and supporting her team in a resource-conscious startup environment. She also values mentoring young students through her church youth group and draws career inspiration from her parents' advice to show up and put her best foot forward with a positive attitude.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Abigail
01What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've received is from my parents: to show up and put your best foot forward. Your presence and attitude are the most powerful tools you have at work. Attitude makes or breaks your day and helps you be a team multiplier by bringing good energy and optimism.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Even if you're not a scientist in your own mind, you can be a scientist by asking questions and doing research. Big questions are good and with curiosity the world is your oyster. You just have to have the right attitude to get there. I didn't come from a huge agricultural background at all but this is possible for young women.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
On a broad scale it's how to make an impact in biosciences, make things more environmentally sustainable, feed the world. Day-to-day it's how to help team members and support the work. In a small startup you have to get creative with resources like sharing equipment and figuring out how to make things work on a large scale without fancy tools.
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