Congratulations Manny Catala, #psuaged19 member hired!

As we congratulate the graduates of the Class of 2019, now is the time of the year where we look forward to seeing where our #psuaged19 members go from here! We would like to congratulate Mr. Manny Catala on taking the next steps of his career by getting ready to serve in the Peace Corps for the next 27 months, where he will be working as an Urban Agriculture Extension Agent in Senegal.

Manny shares that he's wanted to join the Peace Corps ever since he was in 10th grade. He was able to learn about the international organization in his U.S. History class and was hooked. "I joined because I want to make a difference. I've been so fortunate in education and want to share that education to those who haven't had the same opportunity as me." Manny says that the Peace Corps as an outlet for him to give back in his own meaningful way.

Olivia Murphy-Sweet, a fellow Penn State Ag Ed alum graduating in 2016, served in the Peace Corps in Senegal previously. After speaking with Murphy-Sweet and doing his research, Manny knew that Senegal was the place that he wanted to be. "I chose [Senegal] because of the hospitality of the Senegalese people and Peace Corps Senegal's ongoing mission to bring empowerment to women."

We asked Manny what exactly he will be doing during his 27 months abroad as an Urban Agriculture Extension Agent. He says he will be working with community members, youth in schools, and small hold farmers to improve agricultural production and efficiency; anything from improving crop production methods and harvest management, to improving nutrition and helping household members cook and improving women's access to extension services necessary for agriculture. Objectives for the Peace Corps' Agricultural Extension Agent position include increasing farmers' capacity to sustainably cultivate improved crop cultivars and to sustainably produce more crops that contribute to family income and access to food at home.

He shares that he's ready to make his mark on an important community. "I'm excited to... ...know I've made a positive difference, no matter how small or big it is. I'm excited to learn about another culture and to share the American culture." At the same time, Manny says that he is a little nervous, since there isn't the rigorous structure in this position that one may expect - service is different for everyone. This, however, affords a lot of opportunity for Manny to be able to grow and learn what he loves about his position, as well as give in his own unique way.

Despite the uncertainty, Manny believe that his time at Penn State has prepared him well. "I believe my time student teaching and being at Penn State will serve me will in my service. My knowledge of agriculture is pretty wide from the courses I've taken, and student teaching has helped further develop my teaching abilities to reach different groups of people." This experience, he believes, will also prepare him to be flexible in tough situations and more sensitive to other cultures when he moves on to the next step of his career after these 27 months. Manny currently doesn't have any plans set after his Peace Corps service - 27 months is a long time after all - but he shares that only time can tell where he will end up.

Manny is serving in an unique capacity, where he has the power to change many people's lives over the next 27 months, and we are all incredibly proud of him. Manny wants to thank everyone who has been a part of Penn State Teach Ag for their guidance and support throughout his Teach Ag journey. We're excited to keep up with his journey in the Peace Corps and see how he uses his Penn State story to inspire others and contribute to growing communities abroad! Congratulations, Manny!


Want to read more about Manny? 

• 2019 Student Teacher Check-In with Manny Catala
• 2018 Student of the Month - Manny Catala 

Hunter Kauffman

Team Leader, @TeachAgPSU Communications

Wildlife and Fisheries Science

College of Agricultural Sciences

Catching up in Senegal with Olivia Murphy-Sweet (@OSweetMurph)

Olivia Murphy-Sweet officially joined the Peace Corps
in September of 2017.

It's time to catch up with #psuaged16 member and Peace Corps member Olivia Murphy-Sweet from all the way in Senegal!

Olivia's decision to join the Peace Corps came after a life full of travel and international experience. She had traveled internationally multiple times, including a trip to Belize in 2015 to complete her undergraduate research looking at how agricultural knowledge is passed down. Through these experiences, she was able to integrate herself into local cultures and meet new people. "I wanted to join Peace Corps to continue to have those experiences and to learn what it was like to live with people who are different than me." When she got the news that she was accepted and traveling to Senegal, she was naturally ecstatic.

Ms. Murphy-Sweet currently serves as a Sustainable Agricultural Specialist, which requires her to teach through garden groups, seed extension, and many secondary projects that don't necessarily relate to agriculture. "Having an Agriculture Education degree allows one to be very versatile in whatever job they want to do." 

Olivia working on a component of the water line
for her water grant project.

Although her decision to join the Peace Corps isn't a typical one, she says that her degree in Agriculture and Extension Education prepared her well, and was able to help her teach in such a broad setting as hers. "I went a little off the beaten path and used my degree on a more international level than staying in America." Through her education she learned how to think critically with her projects, create lesson plans for the formations she leads in the village, and helped her be able to apply what she does know about agriculture to her current position. She just finished her first year of service, and now has one more to go, being complete in December of 2018.

Olivia says her favorite part of Senegal would be her village, and all those that reside there. "I have countless friends and great work partners that help me with projects." One of her most recent projects was a water grant, where she worked with her community to provide water to an area outside of their village. She was amazed at how well everyone worked together to help each other through the duration of the project.

Olivia (3rd from left), with a group of fellow volunteers in Senegal.

We asked Ms. Murphy-Sweet if she has any advice for those pursuing a degree in Agriculture and Extension Education. Her response; "Do it! It will open up doors if you are willing to be creative and accomplish your goals whether it is in the classroom or not. Once you have the degree, the possibilities are endless." Her degree helped her to open up a very unique opportunity, allowing her to challenge herself while experience a community that would help her through every step of the way. Olivia's experience is proof of the diversity of opportunities that an Ag Ed degree can give you. We want to thank Olivia for sharing with us, and wish her the best of luck as she finishes out her service to the Peace Corps!

Hunter Kauffman, Student Blogger

Wildlife and Fisheries Science 

The Pennsylvania State University

Email: hlk5120@psu.edu

Instagram: kauffman_hunter

Hired! Teacher Candidate Olivia Murphy-Sweet Hired by Peace Corps #psuaged16

Name that place: 

Area:  196, 722 square miles, slightly smaller than South Dakota
Climate: tropical, hot and humid 
Population:  13,975,834 
Last Hint: Will be the new home of a Penn State Teacher Candidate?  

 If you guessed Senegal, you guessed correctly!  Ms. Olivia Murphy-Sweet has been selected to serve as a Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Peace Corps Volunteer in Senegal departing in September!

Throughout her time at Penn State, Olivia was engaged in academics and student organizations.  She was involved in Teach Ag! Society and the Omega Phi Alpha Community Service Sorority.  Olivia has an  International Agriculture minor which led her to Belize to conduct undergraduate research.  It was this experience that led her to the Peace Corps.  "After doing my research project in Belize this past summer, I knew that I could do Peace Corps because of my passion for agriculture and working internationally in different communities. I enjoy integrating myself in new cultures."  She credits Melanie Miller Foster for pushing her through her research and out of her comfort zone.  After completing her research Olivia, with the help of International Agriculture Instructor and Minor Coordinator Dr. Daniel Tobin, applied for the Peace Corps.  

Olivia will participate in various projects in Senegal serving
with the Peace Corps. 

Olivia will be living in a Senegalese community engaging with local community members and farmers to improve their food security.  The goals of the agriculture project in Senegal include: improving crop management skills and intensifying fruit and vegetable production.  These goals are accomplished through various community projects with the help of Peace Corps volunteers.  "Peace Corps allows me the time to fully integrate myself into a community and then they allow me to work on my own projects."  Olivia is most excited to meet new people and see how her experiences gained as part of the Penn State Ag Ed program will benefit both her and her community.  

Olivia has spent the last 15 weeks student teaching at Walter Biddle High School with Ms. Tiffany Turrentine and Ms. Jessica McAtemeney.  "Ag Ed has taught me numerous ways of planning and mapping out problems to finding solutions." Through her training at Penn State and also her student teaching experience in Philadelphia, Olivia has gained more skills in patience and observation before altering any situation. "Ag Ed skills are crucial in international development if you are working in the agriculture sector."  

Ms. Tiffany Turrentine and Olivia with the ferrets from the
animal lab. 

Her skills in agricultural education and experiences internationally will guide her as she discovers different perspectives throughout Senegal. A new language, new community and new ideas can come with a little hesitation.  Thankfully Olivia has her Penn State and immediate family behind her 100%.  "I have a strong network of family and friends." Olivia's advice?  "Don't be afraid to do your own thing.  It's okay to be selfish and see the world!"  Good Luck Olivia, and Congratulations!  If you would like to read more about Olivia's experience and her future work in Senegal, check out her blog and the Peace Corps Senegal Website.  

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.

Kayla Hack

Student Blogger

Twitter Handle: @hackkayla

2017 Agriculture Education Student Teacher

Learning about the Peace Corps from #AEE400 #GlobalExperience

As the year is coming to a close, with finals approaching and summer in the air, it is nice to reflect about what this year has helped me accomplish. One of the highlights of my semester was taking the AEE 400 course which has opened my eyes to many new things. Over the span of the class, we had to pick a pen pal from either Malaysia or the PeaceCorps or do research on a country. Although they were all awesome opportunities I chose the Peace Corps Pen Pal project and it has opened my eyes to a lot of awesome opportunities.

After selectingmy project, I was introduced to Tia Sandoval who is stationed in Nepal in a small village in the district of Syangja. She has been there for over a year and a half now and is doing some awesome projects! Hired to be a Food Security volunteer to implement things such as agriculture, health, and sanitation, she has taken her role in Nepal to new heights. She has been working on gender equalities by starting a GLOW camp, which stands for “Girls Leading Our World” where she has brought 40 girls, ages ranging from 12-18 to learn about leadership, goal setting, confidence building and so much more! 

She has hosted an environmental day, initiated a youth group, and implemented an off season vegetable production plastic tunnel nursery! She has also done a lot by learning to live with what she has and to find resources to help the community gardens. “I didn’t bring anything with me, but I was able to go to agriculture offices that provided seeds in different parts of the year. I wanted the families to actually save their money and grow their own vegetables instead of spending all of their money on food and not on the family.”


While she has been in Nepal she has also traveled to different countries. She went to India for Christmas, and is also planning on going to Malaysia in July to get out of the monsoon weather that will be happening in that time. On her way home she is also planning on stopping in Europe to see the vast differences there.


 Tia has truly opened my eyes to many new things and has made me think about all the various opportunities out there for anyone! If you want to get involved with getting a Peace Corp volunteer pen pal, learning about developing countries, and meet real people who change the world every day, I highly recommend taking AEE 400 Education in Ag in Developing Nations in the spring of next year!

Olivia Murphy-Sweet

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