AEE Major Olivia Murphy-Sweet Has a Passion to Help Students Reach Their Full Potential!

Days of Service at National FFA Convention.

My name is Olivia Murphy-Sweet and I am currently attending Penn State Mont Alto. I am an Agriculture and Extension Education Major and am hoping to transfer up to University Park in the fall.

Growing up, I didn’t live on a farm; I didn’t own animals and I certainly did not know a lot about agriculture. All I knew was that I loved food and thought that cows were cute. When I started high school in my sophomore year I learned about the amazing opportunities in FFA that were offered. I was honestly scared out of my mind when I walked into that first FFA Leadership Class my sophomore year. I was out of my comfort zone but was ready to see what this whole “Ag” thing was about. During that class amazing things happened. I made new friends, signed up to go on a trip and also got to meet my FFA advisor, Mr. Mike Woods. I walked out of there feeling a sense of home and belonging on that very first day. After that, everything went uphill. My high school experience wouldn’t have been the same if it wasn’t for FFA or the Agriculture classes offered in my school.

"The reasons I want to be an Agriculture Education teacher is because of my drive for helping students understand not only what agriculture is, but helping students learn to reach their full potential." 

Receiving my Keystone Degree at the PA FFA
Mid-Winter Convention.

The reasons I want to be an Agriculture Education teacher is because of my drive for helping students understand not only what agriculture is, but helping students learn to reach their full potential. I want to have an Ag room where my students feel comfortable and have a sense of belonging. I want to have my students walking into class excited to learn and walk out of my class smiling because I have made their day just a little bit better than it was before. Agriculture isn’t just about farming or animals, it’s about hard work and determination to get the job done.

To learn more about starting on the path to having a career that makes positive impact on the lives of students across the globe by becoming an agricultural educator, please contact the agricultural teacher education program at teachag@psu.edu. Follow us on Twitter @TeachAgPSU, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PSUTeachAg.

By: Olivia Murphy-Sweet

AEE Major/PSU Mont Alto

Student Blogger

2016 Student Teacher Candidate