#PSUAgEd2Miss: Day 6 - Historical Exploration! Gettysburg to Vicksburg

Editor's note: This is a continuing series on our third annual Teach Ag! Society Domestic Study Away to Mississippi to help with financial literacy and supervised agricultural experience. 

Day 6 - Today was the last full day of our journey through the state of Mississippi. With a no "fixed" plans, we took the opportunity to be tourists and check out the city of Vicksburg!

After a crazy educational and busy week, our crew seized the opportunity to sleep in! We woke up to a delicious home-cooked meal, courtesy of our peers, and used our quiet morning for some meaningful reflection. First we discussed the previous day's stops and the ways we can create and use industry connections in our programs. One of the reoccurring themes of the trip is the importance of the connections we make, so we closed the reflection with a look on the connections we have made with each other this past week.

After the relaxed morning we loaded up the trusty #TeachAg! "spaceship" and drove to Vicksburg. The city, which borders the Mississippi River, is most known for the Civil War battle that took place there. We stopped at the battlefield visitor center, and took a driving tour of the battlefield. Unlike Gettysburg, the battle most of us are familiar with, the Vicksburg campaign lasted several months in 1863, as the Union army dug in and surrounded the city in attempt to occupy it. When the Confederate army surrendered on July 4th, 1863 (One day after the battle of Gettysburg ended) the Union was able to gain total control of the Mississippi River.

Speaking of the Mississippi River, that was our next stop on the day! We stopped at an overlook to get a view of the mighty river and get some wonderful pictures. We then drove across the bridge into Louisiana, allowing us to hit two states in one day! (Maybe next year we will have a #PSUAgEd2LA?) After a brief discussion on resources available to us from state welcome centers, we crossed back to Mississippi for dinner. One more catfish dinner and some frozen yogurt was the perfect ending to the day.

Tomorrow we fly home, and even though we are sad to see the journey end, we know that our experiences in Mississippi will have a lasting effect on our teaching careers!

Submitted by:

Nathan Repetz, 2017 Student Teacher

Janae Herr, 2016 Student Teacher