September 2021 Agricultural & Extension Education Student of the Month- Jenna Kibbe!

The Center for Professional Personnel Development is excited to recognize Jenna Kibbe, a senior studying Agricultural and Extension Education as the 2021 September Student of the Month! Jenna is from Findley Lake, New York and a graduate of Clymer Central School. During her senior year of high school, she was elected to serve as the New York FFA State Treasurer in 2017-2018. She attended Penn State Behrend for her first year of undergraduate studies. Jenna is a senior preparing to embark on her student teaching experience this spring where she will be teaching at Gettysburg Area High School under Ms. Jenna Timmons and Mrs. Laura Kennedy. Additionally, Jenna is pursuing two minors along with her degree in both Spanish and International Agriculture. 

While attending Penn State, Jenna has been involved in a variety of student organizations including LEAD Society, Spanish Immersion Club, and SALT. She has taken advantage of student employment opportunities including supervising concessions at Beaver Stadium, welcoming the newest Penn State students as a New Student Orientation Leader in 2020, and serving as an Agriculture Education Avenger over the past few years.

Jenna's passion for agriculture was sparked from her family, where agriculture is a deep tradition. She shares that "My grandfather and dad were both active members of FFA and were involved in showing livestock and competing at all levels in the state. Although I have never shown an animal a day in my life, I grew up with the love of gardening and wildlife management. From helping my dad with his food plots to selling my vegetables at the end of my driveway in the summer, I always enjoyed being outside and enjoying God’s beauty through my involvement in the agriculture industry. My passion only grew as I got older, so I challenged myself by working on a horse farm starting at the bottom by cleaning stalls to eventually being a trail guide."

In her free time, Jenna enjoys playing basketball, hiking, reading books and watching movies! You can find Jenna on campus at her favorite spots which are the Creamery and Arboretum. Her favorite places to eat in State College are Plaza and Rey Azteca, which she said are some of the best comfort foods! 

As Jenna spends the fall semester preparing for her student teaching experience, she is hoping to make a lasting impact on students and the program at Gettysburg Area High School. She states "I am looking forward to teaching classes in Animal Science, Horticulture, Landscape Design and Introduction to Agriculture. One of my main goals for student teaching is to make impactful connections with my students. I hope inspire my students to become lifelong learners and advocates for the agriculture industry. I also hope to help guide them out of their comfort zone to develop leadership skills to become better leaders in the future. Another one of my goals is to be a positive and active member of the community by making a meaningful difference. Whether it’s through service learning, donations or community service projects, I hope to strengthen the relations between community members and my students to make a positive impact. My final goal is to better my skills as a teacher and leader. I want to be proactive in learning from my cooperating teachers, administration and students." Jenna has been a great example of a what being a good leader is like to her colleagues and friends. We know she will accomplish great things throughout her student teaching experience. 

Jenna wanted to share a piece of advice for underclassmen. "For any underclassmen reading this, I would recommend that you spend your time in college exploring different passions and take advantage of every opportunity that you can! It is great to find passions that bring you joy and comfort you when you are stressed in college. It is easy to be overwhelmed and overwork yourself like I did. However, when I felt like my stress levels were getting high, I always had my few passions/hobbies that helped me refresh and enjoy my time here at Penn State!" We are proud to see how Jenna has grown over the past few years at Penn State and excited to see where her Ag Ed journey continues to take her. Keep up with Jenna by following her on Instagram or Twitter @JennaKibbe. 

Morgan Bear

CPPD Student Worker

Agricultural & Extension Education

Class of 2023

After One Year of Being an Educator - Jenna Timmons's (@jitimmons) Experience

Have you ever wondered how the first year of being an agricultural educator goes for that beginning teacher? If so, you are in luck for we are diving into the experience that Jenna Timmons had this past year teaching at Gettysburg High School in Adams County. She is one of the educators from the #psuaged16 cohort. The communications team had asked her several questions to better understand how her year went as a beginning teacher.

Her first year was an unique and interesting experience. She had felt unprepared somedays as she was entering the classroom and somedays where she thought to herself, "What did I even teach today?" However, she had realized that she has what it takes to be an effective teacher and that she will strive and try harder tomorrow. She believes that she did okay in her first year as an educator. She had increased that student numbers in the department and class size which made her feel accomplished. Her confidence has boosted for she has grown in her professional role as being a successful educated person who was fortunate to earn a role at a great school. She explained, "In addition, my confidence in being able to control a class and create purposeful lessons for a class has increased and allowed me to stand in front of a class or a room full of FFA members and know that I am adding value and purpose to my students’ lives."

Her piece of advice for beginning teachers is just as significant as her teaching experience. Her advice is, "Do not give up and do not quit. You had this dream for a reason and you need to see it through. It will get better, I promise." She also added that the student who appreciates you needs you! During her first year she came upon an inspiring moment when she was able to incorporate her students with special needs into their planting of spring plants. She realized that she gave them an opportunity that they would not have had otherwise. The thing she enjoys the most is the diversity of agriculture. She teaches small gas engines and welding in the morning to turn around in the afternoon to teach horticulture. She loves the difference of content and students. Her students keep her learning and constantly growing as a leader.

Penn State Teach Ag is proud of all that Jenna has accomplished in one year, and we are excited to see what she can accomplish throughout her career.

Luke Kerstetter

Student Blogger

Twitter Handle: @lmkerstetter96

2020 Agricultural Education Student Teacher