Community & Agriculture: Jasmine Graybill's Internship

2015 Student Teacher
Jasmine Graybill 

Whether you are in a rural area or an urban one, Agriculture Education and community go hand in hand. Over the summer, 2015 student teacher, Jasmine Graybill has been learning how important community involvement really is through her internship with the York County Extension Office.

Jasmine has been busy organizing the upcoming 4-H fair, conducting workshops at 4-H camps and facilitating events such as State Days. Out of all the awesome opportunities she has had working with the Extension Office, Jazz's favorite is the Urban Agriculture Education Program.

During the summer, York County Extension works directly with a summer school program in the community garden the 4-H program started right in the middle of the city. The students, who are in elementary and middle school, come to the garden once a week to plant a variety of fruits and vegetables. They go through the entire process from planting to being able to take the product home to share with their families. Jasmine said "this project is a fantastic learning environment for students in the environment who would otherwise not have any opportunity to learn these skills!"

The future plans for the program are going to help the community become even more connected to agriculture! The next step is to build a classroom with no walls right next to the garden. "This way students can come straight to the garden and receive both instruction and hands on experience in one location!" Another goal of the Urban Agriculture Education Program is to get connected with the local downtown market where students can sell the produce and use the money to help other areas of the garden. Jasmine said "This will be just another area where the students can learn! Financial management is another skill that is so beneficial to their future."

Jasmine working with some youth during 2014 4-H camp! 

The greatest takeaway of Jasmines internship was getting to know people from a different background than her own. "I have met some really awesome people from all different backgrounds and cultures and learned how important the community really is. This experience has really challenged me to think of what I can do to positively impact my own community!"

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