2014 Teach Ag! Society Outstanding Member of the Year: Toby Neal

Toby Neal, 2015 Student Teacher
2014 Teach Ag! Oustanding Member of the Year

One purpose of the Penn State Teach Ag! Society is to promote the high standards and ideals in agriculture and extension education. There is no better way to do that than by the hard work and dedication of the members. This year the organization presented its first “Outstanding Member of the Year” award at the annual banquet.

The award recognizes a student who goes above and beyond to promote the organization and works hard to spread the word about agriculture education. The first Outstanding Member of the Year award was given to 2015 Student Teacher, Mr. Toby Neal!

Toby (@tjn5065) has been a member of the Teach Ag! Society since transferring to main campus in the fall of 2013. He has been active in numerous organization activities such as Ag Day, the Christmas party, the Praxis round table and the fall bonfire. He is also setting up a volunteer environmental education opportunity for members in the coming fall at the Elk Country Visitor center where he works.

Toby & Laura at the Teach Ag! booth at Ag Day 2014!

When asked about winning the award Toby said, “It was shocking! I know that so many members put a lot of effort into Teach Ag! And I feel like it’s such a team effort. I don’t feel like I do more than the rest of the members! We have such a great group of students and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for the organization!”

President of the Teach Ag! Society, Jill Gordon (@jillianpsu) was part of the selection committee for the award. She stated “As an organization, we wouldn’t be anywhere if it wasn’t for members who are willing to step up to the plate and do great things. Toby is an excellent example of that, so it was pretty clear that he was more than deserving of the award!”

To learn more about starting on the path to having a career that makes a 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 at TeachAgPSU, on Facebook, or on our blog!




Laura Metrick
Student Blogger
2015 Student Teacher
@Its_LauraBeth