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WINTON – A recent graduate of North Carolina Central University has been hired as the Family & Consumer Science Agent here at the Hertford County office of North Carolina Cooperative Extension.

Qu’Asia Wilson, a native of Elizabeth City, began her new job on April 3.

“I like it, it’s everything I thought it would be,” Wilson noted. “The staff welcomed me and have helped me get acquainted with my duties. They’ve let me know what programs were done in the past and have encouraged me to develop new programs.”

As the Family & Consumer Science Agent, Wilson will be responsible for the operation of an important program within Cooperative Extension that includes education on food safety, food preparation, food preservation, nutrition, healthy lifestyles, and other similar subjects.

Wilson, a 2019 graduate of Northeastern High School, furthered her education by majoring in Family Consumer Science at North Carolina Central from where she graduated in December 2022.

“I’ve always loved helping people,” Wilson said in explaining the reason she chose Family Consumer Science as her major.

Her original plan was to enroll in nursing, but chose another direction.

“I still wanted to find a field where I could help people,” Wilson noted. “That’s why I chose Family Consumer Science.”

During college, Wilson interned at a daycare and worked at one in Raleigh as a Pre-K teacher after graduating from NCCU. All the while she was looking for an opening somewhere in Family Consumer Science.

“I learned that Hertford County [Cooperative Extension] was looking to fill their Family & Consumer Science Agent position. I applied and got the job,” Wilson said.

At her new job, Wilson will be working to continue existing Cooperative Extension programs such as Steps to Health – working within the local school system with K-4^th grade students, teaching them to eat healthy as well as exercising; and the Take Control program, which stresses good eating habits and proper exercise for adults.

Wilson added that she would like to visit the Senior Centers within the county where she can conduct the Take Control classes. She can also use the Cooperative Extension office in Winton to conduct that program.

Other programs that Wilson wants to establish include Safe Serv Certification, one that assists restaurant managers and employees to learn more about food handling, safety, and sanitation. She also wants teach local gardeners about the importance of food safety during the canning process.

“I do plan trying to get people my age to understand the importance of proper nutrition,” Wilson said of another program she wants to get started. “What we eat now will affect us as we grow older. If they change their eating habits now, it will help them in the long run.”

She plans to take those nutrition education classes to the local colleges as well as hosting them at the Winton office.

“We are really excited to have Qu’Asia join our staff and are looking forward to the expertise that she will bring to both youth and adults in Hertford County. Be on the lookout as she develops her program and the educational opportunities that she will provide,” stated Dylan Lilley, Director of the N.C. Cooperative Extension’s Hertford County office.

Wilson is the daughter of Dr. Shawn Wilson, the former principal at Gatesville Elementary School who now works with Perquimans County Public Schools, and Quinten Wilson, who works as a Rehabilitation Engineer.

For more information regarding Family & Consumer Science programming, contact Qu’Asia Wilson at 252-358-7822 or qswilson@ncsu.edu.