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| Victoria and two of the Lehigh Valley Zoo's education animals. |
It's a wonderful thing to see our #psuaged students achieve, and from time to time, we like to recognize their hard work and achievements. Therefore, we want to take the time to congratulate #psuaged19 member Victoria Herr (@Victoria_Herr) for winning the annual $1000 internship award from the College of Agricultural Sciences Alumni Society for her summer internship with the Lehigh Valley Zoo in Schnecksville, PA.
When asked what motivated her to apply for the internship, Victoria said she always had a passion for the outdoors and working with animals.
"...growing up, I dreamed of being a zoo keeper or having my own show on Animal Planet. "Although she admits her goals have changed a bit since that time, she still holds the same passion. She came across the Lehigh Valley Zoo at Ag Career Day in her freshman year at Penn State. After reading about their Conservation Education internship, her sights were set, and she prepared for the next career day, where she scored an interview and was hired to serve in the Conservation Education position for this past summer.
During her internship, she had the opportunity to lead zoo tours, nature hikes, creek studies, and educated guests on native plants and animals. At the end of her time, she had easily completed hundreds of hours teaching, and she was able to give educational presentations on over 30 different animals in the zoo!
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Victoria and Doug, and African Grey Parrot, and one of
the Lehigh Valley Zoo's education animals. |
'On-the-job' experience is important, she says, and even in a non-formal setting there's lots to learn. Victoria says,
"I’ve had a lot of people ask me how this internship was relevant to my career and I don’t think they realize just how relevant it was!" She continued to explain how such a different environment allowed her to pick up on a variety of teaching techniques and gain many unique experiences, which will make her a better teacher in the long run. Seeing education from the non-formal side allowed her to contextualize what she has been learning in the classroom for the previous two years and get a handle on essential skills for teaching, such as public speaking and overcoming common teaching obstacles.
Victoria admitted that it was very hard to pin down one favorite thing about her summer, but the impact that she was able to make on visitors was meaningful to her.
"I believe that a connection to nature is a really important thing that our society is really pushing further and further away so getting the chance, even for a few minutes, to help people make that connection was a really incredible thing."
When asked if she has any advice for those thinking about a career in Agricultural Education, she says to go for it;
"Whether or not you see yourself in a classroom, there are so many opportunities for a career with a degree in Ag Ed." Victoria truly believes in the great experiences and wide breadth of knowledge that the major gives you access to.
"That opens the door to so many careers, seriously!" She encourages AEE majors not to just look at formal Ag Ed internships, but rather look at a variety of opportunities that get you out and in front of people. Victoria's internship is a prime example of just one of the many opportunities that a degree in Agriculture and Extension Education can lead to.
If you're interested in her time at the Lehigh Valley Zoo,
check out Victoria's blog about her experiences this past summer!
We're proud to see a fellow #psuaged member be recognized for her hard work and dedication to agricultural education! We wish Victoria the best of luck in her future career as an agricultural educator!
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.
Hunter Kauffman, Student Blogger
Wildlife and Fisheries Science
The Pennsylvania State University
Email: hlk5120@psu.edu
Instagram: kauffman_hunter
Karlie is a Post Baccalaureate student seeking for certification in AEE. She had graduated from Penn State in 2014 with a B.S. in Agricultural Sciences and a minor in Environmental Soil Science. After she gets her certification in AEE this spring she plans to obtain a teaching position in Agricultural Education. Her story is a little bit different from most students at Penn State. She states, "If
you would have asked me 10 years ago, 3 years ago, or even 1 year ago, do you
want to be a teacher? I would have simply replied, absolutely not. I only
wanted to "teach" in non-formal ways - workshops, being a 4-H leader,
or CDE/LDE coach. However, my thoughts and mind have been open by people I look
up too and experiences I have had at my job for the County Conservation
District." 
