College of Ag Sciences Alumni Society Award presented to #psuaged19 member Victoria Herr (@Victoria_Herr)

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!

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

Lehigh Valley Zoo Internship with Cory Scott! #psuaged15

Cory Scott, a 2015 Student Teacher, had the opportunity for an incredible internship this past summer. Cory (@CJScottAgEd) was an intern at the Lehigh Valley Zoo in Schnecksville, PA. He is a guest blogger this week to share his experience with us! 

Cory Scott, 2015 Student Teacher

This summer I was a conservation education intern at the Lehigh Valley Zoo. As an intern in the education department I had a wide array of responsibilities from teaching and giving tours to providing animal care. Most days at the zoo for me start at 7 working with one of the education staff members on one of our two animal routines. As part of each routine we were
responsible for cleaning up after, feeding and checking each of our animals in the education department. Some of the over 50 animals in the department included many reptiles such as snakes and lizards, several birds of prey, a sloth and two prehensile tail porcupines just to name a few.

After all the animals were taken care of it was then time to get to the education part of the day. The zoo provides many different educational programs including animal presentations, guided tours, nature walks, creek studies and other programs aimed at teaching people about conservation. As an intern I was required to learn about most of the animals in the zoo and run the different programs that we offered.

This internship provided me with countless new skills and knowledge, not only animals but also teaching. While at the zoo I worked with students and adults of many different ages and backgrounds including preschoolers, senior citizens, and people from rural communities as well as inner city Allentown. Meeting and interacting with all these different people was an eye opening experience for me.

I had never spent any time teaching preschoolers but i quickly learned that it takes more patients then I could have ever imagined. A critical skill I learned through working with small children was taking information and breaking it down into its simplest components. This was something I struggled with in the beginning but overtime developed. While working with students from inner city Allentown I learned a great deal about their lack of access to nature and open spaces. This again required me to learn to take the information I had and adapt it to meet their needs and relate it to their prior experiences. The skills I gained this summer I will take with me as I begin my career as an 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! 

Cory Scott
2015 Student Teacher
@CJScottAgEd

Not Your Average Student Internship! #branchingout

All throughout this summer we have been interviewing students in the Agriculture Education major about their internships! This particular student is not an Agriculture Education Major but, he has completed an awesome internship that students might be interested in! Benjamin Nason, a junior at Penn State spent his summer at a community garden working in the garden as well as working in their lab!

Ben is studying to be a Horticulture Major with a science emphasis and is minors include; Entomology, Biology, Mushroom Science, and Technology! As you can see from his vast amount of skills and knowledge, he was well equipped to work for this community garden! His main jobs for his internship are wide ranging.He helps manage the garden overall which includes taking care of equipment and site management. One of his main projects that he has been working on for most of the summer is helping to assemble a new teaching pollinator garden. It focuses on native plants in support of the diminishing native pollinator species!

Although he works in the garden every day, he has been able to perfect his people skills and his time management. He states: The community garden is an amazing place for people to gather over plants, soil, and the outdoors. In my time there and with the few conversations I have had with members, this is the most diverse and interesting group of people I have ever met."

Ben has had a great summer and is excited to come back to Penn State for school to finish his studies! If you would like to know more about the community garden, you can contact him though his email at bcn5061@psu.edu
 

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! 

 Olivia Murphy-Sweet
Student Blogger
Teach Ag! Avenger
Twitter Handle- @OSweetMurph
2016 Agricultural Education Student Teacher

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

4 Interns, 1 Summer, 1 Pennsylvania Farm Bureau! #internship #pfb

When summer comes around, college students have the opportunity to get summer jobs and potentially work at internships. This summer I have had the opportunity to work alongside three of my colleagues at the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau. We all are Penn Stater’s in the Agriculture Extension and Education Major! Below is an outline of what each of us do in our areas.
 
Katie Andrews (@klandrews_24)-
 

Katie Andrews 2016 Student Teacher

This summer I have had the opportunity to be the Pennsylvania Friends of Agriculture Foundation's intern! I heard about the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau at the career fair and also read about it on this blog when Jeanne Case was the intern last year! This opportunity has provided opportunities to learn about a different part of agricultural education in another type of atmosphere. 

I come from a background in farming so my family supported me when I received the job! They, as well as I, believe in what PFB has to offer all agriculturists. Since I am working with educationally focused projects within the Foundation I am able to see a different educational operation involving something I am truly passionate about. Another benefit of working within a professional setting is not only gaining transferable skills but growing my personal network.Some of the events that I have worked with this summer are National Teach Ag in Classroom Conference and the Annual Golf Outing, which were both held in Hershey, PA. The projects I have been focusing on developing this summer are two extension sheets for the new traveling Mobile Ag lab lessons, developing a project for Ag Progress Days and, in conjunction with my fellow interns, the FACE conference! This internship provides me with new perspectives, skills, and relationships that has made my summer of 2014 extremely worthwhile.

 
Matt Reutlinger (@mreutlinger) -

My journey with the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau began four years ago, while I was serving as a Pennsylvania FFA State Officer. Through my year of service, I had a few key opportunities (Farm Show, Penn State Ag Progress Days, etc.) to work with the dedicated staff and members of the Farm Bureau. At the time, I thought the only way to advance agricultural issues was through the classroom and FFA. In hind sight, I see several key decisions and interactions, that brought me to where I am today with the Farm Bureau.

Matt Reutlinger 2015 Student Teacher

Within the agriculture industry there is a small niche of people who are the agricultural education clan. I’m proud to be a part of the agricultural education clan, and the people who are there with me are phenomenal! One person, Jeanne Case, really encouraged me to pursue the opportunities here with Farm Bureau; after she had enjoyed her experience as one of the 2013 Summer Interns. She told me about the great staff and the challenging experiences I would have here at the Farm Bureau. I wasn’t initially sold. I had spent the last four years of my life in a classroom and workshop setting, so a transition to the “other side” of businesses, policy and industry seemed daunting. My mentors and friends urged me to take the plunge. How could I know that I belonged in a classroom without seeing the “other side” and understanding its purpose?

So I applied, and was blessed with the opportunity to serve the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau as one of the two interns for the Government and Communications Department. My time here has been filled with a lot of learning. I drove head first into the mission and goals of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau. The staff here is truly dedicated to providing a genuine service to the members of the organization, who employs them. This time on the other “other side” has given me a sincere appreciation for the time, talent and resources it takes to make our industry prosper in the field, classroom, or on Capitol Hill.

Sarabeth Royer (@sb_royer)-

Sarabeth Royer 2016 Student Teacher

I first heard about this internship through being involved in FFA. I had the opportunity to come visit the Camp Hill office and learn more about what Pennsylvania Farm Bureau does. Coming from a Dairy and Poultry farm, my whole family knows about PFB, but I never realized the scope of their involvement and influence throughout agriculture, Pennsylvania, and all over the United States.

PA Farm Bureau not only has incredible member benefits and services, many of which my family uses, but they also advocate for agriculture. Whether it be to government officials and policymakers, or explaining agriculture to the general public, PFB is on the front lines helping to tell our story.

 As a minority, we agriculturists need to work together to better tell our story. This is what attracted me the most to the PA Farm Bureau internship, the fact that this grassroots organization is truly helping advocate for agriculture.

Because of my lack in experience in government and policy, I was at first a bit nervous to be interning in the Government Affairs and Communication Division. However, this has truly been an incredible experience for me to learn more about policy, law, lobbying, and advocacy. As the average consumer and policymaker become even further removed from the family farm, it is even more important to have strong voices speaking up for agriculture.

I am thoroughly enjoying my internship at PFB, and strongly encourage other students to apply for next summer.

Olivia Murphy-Sweet (@OSweetMurph)-

Olivia Murphy-Sweet 2016 Student Teacher

I never knew that much about the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau until I actually started this internship. I knew little things here and there but never the entire story. When I came to PFB, I quickly learned what an awesome organization it truly is and what it has to offer for farmers and non-farmers.

I work in the Member Relations side of the office. My main responsibilities are to work on social media content, organize paperwork and activities for the FACE conference, help send out flyers for events, and so much more! The FACE conference was actually an opportunity for me to help design and organize an event where 50 students throughout PA could come and learn about the legislative process. The week was a long one, but everything went well and the students learned a lot!

Overall this job has made me work on my organization skills and work on my professional development which I know I can use for the future in or out of the classroom. I hope that others can apply to see what this job can do for you!

__________________________________________________________

I hope that by seeing this you can understand what an amazing experience that this has been for everyone and that you apply in the future. The Pennsylvania Farm Bureau has a booth at the Career fair in the fall so make sure you keep an eye out and talk to one of the representatives there!

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! 

 Olivia Murphy-Sweet
Student Blogger
Teach Ag! Avenger
Twitter Handle- @OSweetMurph
2016 Agricultural Education Student Teacher

Carly-Jean (@CarlyJeanBean) talks about internship at PSU Arboretum! #greenthumb

Carly-Jean Schaefer, 2015 Student Teacher

Don’t you just love when the sun is shining, birds are chirping, and the trees and flowers are in full bloom? Well Carly-Jean Schaefer (@CarlyJeanBean), a 2015 student teacher at Ft. Cherry High School, loves it! Carly-Jean is an Agriculture Extension and Education major, minoring in environmental inquiry with an emphasis in Recreational Parks and Tourism Management as well as Agribusiness! This internship was right up her ally because she actually has been able to work this summer as the horticultural intern with the Arboretum at Penn State! She has been learning a lot and is gaining experience working with plants and soil.

             

Carly- Jean planting over a dozen 20 foot bananas! 

Carly-Jean found out about the internship opportunity from an email that was sent across the agriculture college! Since Carly-Jean took her English 202C class, which preps you for job applications and interviewing, she was well prepared and on her way for an interview! After Carly-Jean received the job, she learned what she was going to do for the summer. “My internship consists of day to day maintenance around the arboretum, propagation, interacting with the public and acting as a facilitator in the garden.” She also states that her job duties change a lot and is on a day by day basis which makes it fun for her! She even stated that she planted a couple hundred perennials/ annuals/ and shrubs in preparation for the opening of the Children’s Garden party in July! 

PSU Arboretum

Carly-Jean hopes that by the end of this summer, this experience will have helped her gain more experience in public gardens and learn helpful ways to communicate to the public about gardening in communities!  

If you would like to learn more about the Penn State Arboretum check out this link! 

Olivia Murphy-Sweet

Student Blogger
Teach Ag! Avenger
Twitter Handle @OSweetMurph
2016 Agricultural Education Student Teacher 

- See more at: http://teachagpsu.blogspot.com/search/label/Olivia%20Murphy%20Sweet#sthash.2GWGApf0.dpuf

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!

Olivia Murphy-Sweet
Student Blogger
Teach Ag! Avenger
Twitter Handle @OSweetMurph
2016 Agricultural Education Student Teacher

Olivia Murphy-Sweet

Student Blogger
Teach Ag! Avenger
Twitter Handle @OSweetMurph
2016 Agricultural Education Student Teacher

- See more at: http://teachagpsu.blogspot.com/search/label/Olivia%20Murphy%20Sweet#sthash.2GWGApf0.dpuf

Olivia Murphy-Sweet

Student Blogger
Teach Ag! Avenger
Twitter Handle @OSweetMurph
2016 Agricultural Education Student Teacher 

- See more at: http://teachagpsu.blogspot.com/search/label/Olivia%20Murphy%20Sweet#sthash.2GWGApf0.dpuf