Jeremy Rose is AEE October Student of the Month!!!

October AEE Student of the Month

The Center for Professional Personnel Development would like to recognize Jeremy Rose as the Agricultural and Extension Education Student of the Month for October. Jeremy is currently a Junior majoring in Agricultural and Extension Education as well as minoring in International Agriculture. Jeremy intends to graduate from Penn State in May of 2026. Jeremy is from Indiana; Pennsylvania and he graduated from Penns Manor Area Jr/SR High School. Throughout Jeremy's time in high school, he was involved in 4-H and FFA. He was a part of the All my Friends 4-h club where he worked closely with his mother his last 3 years of his time in 4-h. She was the Organizational leader, and he was the president. Jeremy said " 4-h was my starting point for growing as a leader in Agriculture, and I was fortunate to have my mother, Nadine, greatly influence that experience!" Jeremy was also a member of the Penns Manor FFA chapter from the years of 2018-2021. His Agricultural teacher Mr. Jerry Hughes dedicated an immense amount of time to ensure that Jeremy and his classmates could learn and grow, both before, during, and after school. His dedication allowed Jeremy to forge lifelong friendships and build a network across Pennsylvania. Jeremy also said he " had the honor of becoming a State Officer for the Pennsylvania FFA, which was another pivotal experience in my development. As I look back, I can confidently say that my journey was significantly enriched by my time at Penns Manor and my year of service with the Pennsylvania FFA." 

When asked why he chose to attend Penn State here is what Jeremy had to say, " During my senior year of high school, I considered multiple large agricultural colleges to further my education. Reflecting on my high school career in 4-H and the FFA, I had long and extensive conversations with my agriculture teacher, one of my greatest mentors. Through these discussions, I determined that the Agricultural and Extension Education Program, as well as the Animal Sciences
Department, offered opportunities that aligned with my best interests. Of course, it's also easy to say that the creamery ice cream and coffee were a bonus. " Jeremy attended PSU DuBois for his first year of college then he transferred to main campus. Jeremy's favorite Penn State classes so far has been Animal Science 324 which is a livestock judging class and AEE 204N a Science Literacy class. Jeremy's future plans are to be an Agriculture teacher and work his way up to administration as a Career and Technical Education Director. He said "Aside from my hopes and

aspirations as a teacher, I have a strong interest in evaluating livestock. If I were to choose a different career path in agriculture, I would likely become a livestock buyer and hauler for one of the many cattle companies across the United States. However, my primary passion lies in agricultural education. I aim to teach Animal Sciences, Ag Sciences, Plant Sciences, and other agricultural topics at a high and efficient level." Jeremy is a part of the Teach Ag Avenger, PSU FFA Alumni, IM Basketball, and the Livestock judging team on campus. His Favorite hangout on Campus is Ag Science and Industries building and his favorite place to eat is Sauly Boys.  

Jeremy had the opportunity to be a part of the GOALs program He said " In the fall of 2023, I was fortunate to participate in the Goals Program (Global Orientation of Agricultural Learning), which provided numerous incredible opportunities. Working with many professors was an honor, but it was particularly inspiring to learn from Graduate Student Mrs. Mia Sullivan. Throughout the course, I had many remarkable experiences. The program offered three total immersion experiences. First, we traveled to Des Moines, Iowa, for the World Food Prize. For my teaching experience, I was privileged to head south to Miami Dade, Florida, where I spent a week with Mr. Wayne Worthley in Miami Dade County, teaching students about International Agriculture and Sustainable Development Goals. Our final immersion experience took us to Belize, as previously mentioned. Overall, the Goals Program illuminated a new perspective on Agricultural Education for my classmates and me." Some of Jeremy's hobbies include Trapshooting and golfing at a below average level. One interesting fact about Jeremy is he averages a haircut about once every 10 business days.  

 Jeremy’s favorite quote is: 

“Some people want it to happen, some people wish it would happen, others make it happen”.   

Follow Jeremy on Instagram at @jeremy_yo_rose 

 

Cameron Goodyear 

CPPD Student Worker 

Agricultural and Extension Education  

Class of 2026 

 

Ella Strickland is September AEE Student of the Month

AEE September Student of the Month

The Center for Professional Personnel Development would like to recognize Ella Strickland as the Agricultural and Extension Education Student of the Month for September. Ella is currently a sophomore majoring in Agricultural and Extension Education as well as minoring in International Agriculture. Ella intends to graduate from Penn State in May of 2027. Ella is from Maysville, Georgia and she graduated from East Jackson Comprehensive High School. Throughout Ella's time in high school, she was involved in the Jackson FFA -Empower FFA Chapter. She said "I was my chapter's secretary and served as North Region Area II Sentinel. I was also involved in many different CDEs Including Vet science, Agricultural Communications, and Agricultural Sales. I was also involved in exhibiting lambs".

When asked why she chose to attend Penn State here is what Ella had to say "I chose Penn state because of a family connection. From this connection I decided to visit the campus during fall of my senior year. Upon meeting the staff and faculty in the AEE major I had made up my mind on whether or not I would apply to Penn State. Everyone was very welcoming and made the transition to college easier. On a lighter note, fall is pretty in Pennsylvania and how could I turn down the opportunity to experience that for the next four years".  Ella is a member of the PSU FFA Alumni and Supporters club; she is also on the Penn State Equestrian team. Ella works as an AEE communication intern on campus. Ella's favorite place to hang out on campus is either at the creamery or in Ferguson. Ella says her favorite place to eat on campus is at McAllister's. 

 

Ella's favorite PSU class has been the GOALS program this is comprised of two classes AEE 400 and AEE 497. Ella said, "This was by far my favorite class because I got a lot of real-life experiences and got to make many connections with other universities across the US."

    

    Ella says "My interest in agriculture stems from my love for animals. However, that simple interest turned into a passion when I learned the importance of the ag industry. From there I was certain that I wanted to advocate for this industry that provided me with so many opportunities and growth experiences."  Ella's future plans are to go into the teaching profession. She also said " I eventually would like to advance my career and work on policy for the department of agriculture.

 

One interesting fact about Ella is " that I used to show and now raise club lambs back home. I currently have 5 breeding ewes that have lambs in the spring. I then take these lambs and give them to local FFA students in my community that have a passion for livestock, but unfortunately cannot afford to purchase their own livestock. I gained a lot by showing lambs through FFA, and hope to one day make the livestock exhibiting experience more accessible to students."

A defining moment in Ella's college career is that she is currently a part of Roar for more. This is a program at university park that allows you to raise a service dog for Susquehanna Service dogs. To the side you will see a picture of Ella with the service dog she will be raising of Susquehanna Service dog. 

Ella's favorite quote is:

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world” 

Follow Ella on Instagram at @strickland.m_e

Cameron Goodyear

CPPD Student Worker

Agricultural and Extension Education

Class of 2026

Sarah Beaver is June AEE Student of the Month

 AEE June Student of the Month

The Center for Professional Personnel Development would like to recognize Sarah Beaver as the June Student of the Month for her outstanding efforts in her academics and extracurriculars. Sarah is majoring in Agricultural and Extension Education with a minor in International Agriculture and will graduate in May of 2027. She chose Penn State because, "Penn State felt like home the first time I visited. It was always my dream school but I never thought I would get into University Park but with a lot of hard work and dedication here I am! Once I knew that I wanted to do AG education I knew Penn State was where I wanted to go." 

Sarah is a 2023 graduate of Otto-Eldred High School where she was involved in the Otto-Eldred FFA Chapter which is the only Chapter in McKean County. During her time in FFA she served as Vice President and President. From being an officer, she learned, "skills like communication, outreach, and perseverance. During my time, I attended local and area events, state conferences, and conventions, building leadership skills and networking. I also worked on various Supervised Agricultural Experience projects ranging from placement to exploratory. By my senior year, I was able to earn my State Keystone Degree at the Pennsylvania Farm Show. I am very grateful for my time in PA FFA and look forward to continuing to be a part of it in the future." 

On campus, Sarah is involved in the University Park Undergraduate Association as the College of Agricultural Science Representative. She also is a Student Senator in the College of Agricultural Sciences Faculty Senate. Additional she is an Ag Student Council Executive Team member, an Ag Advocate, and a part of the Global Orientation in Agricultural Learning Program Cohort 3. She also holds a position as an intern for the Global Teach AG Network. Her favorite class on campus is INTAG 100N. Sarah enjoys hanging out in the Ferguson Building and going to SNAP Pizza with her friends. Her hobbies include being outside
and spending time with her friends and family. Sarah's favorite sports team is the Bills. An interesting fact about Sarah is that she is related to James A. Beaver, the guy that Beaver Stadium is named after.

Sarah had the opportunity to be involved in the Global Orientation in Agricultural Learning (GOALs) program this past year. She traveled to the World Food Prize in the fall, learned about different aspects of global agriculture, and got to teach on this subject for a week in the spring. Sarah says, "I was fortunate enough to be a part of the GOALs program this year. This program was the highlight of my first year here at PSU. I learned so much, met many amazing people, and experienced things that have transformed my understanding of agricultural education. I am so thankful for the opportunities this program has provided me."

Her agricultural interest and passion surround that of agricultural education, global agriculture issues, food security, and agricultural policy. In the future, she hopes to use her degree from Penn State to become a high school agricultural science teacher and impart her knowledge on students. 

Sarah's favorite quote:
"Keep planting and sowing, living and knowing: Beautiful things take time, and that is okay."
- Morgan Harper Nichols

Follow Sarah on Social Media
@sa.r.ah_beaver

Erica Teagarden

CPPD Student Worker

Agricultural and Extension Education

Class of 2026

Erica Teagarden is May AEE Student of the Month

 

AEE May Student of the month

   

The Center for Professional Personnel Development would like to recognize Erica Teagarden as the Agricultural and Extension Education Student of the Month for May. Erica is currently a sophomore majoring in Agricultural and Extension Education as well as Minoring in International Agriculture. Erica intends to graduate from Penn State in May of 2026. Erica is from Claysville, Pennsylvania and graduated from McGuffey High School. Throughout Erica's time in high school, she was a member of the McGuffey FFA Chapter where she held officer positions of Reporter, Treasurer, and President. Erica's SAE projects included employment at her family's greenhouse, taking care of various market animals, and a few other jobs. As a member of her chapter, she embraced the opportunity to take four plant science classes as well as a welding class her senior year. Erica also competed in various LDEs and CDEs she said, "My favorite was public speaking, and I went to states for it three out of the four years I competed." Erica was also involved in a few different 4-H clubs which include Heart and Home 4-H club, Country Critters 4-H club, 4-Leaf 4-H, and the West Alexander Ag 4-H club. She said " I served in various roles throughout my time in 4-H such as Historian, Secretary, Vice-President, and President. I did sewing projects, as well as showing dairy cattle and market animals."

When asked why she chose to attend Penn State here is what she had to say "Penn State was the only school that I applied to. Ever since I first stepped foot into an agriculture education class, I knew that was what I wanted to do. My ag teacher went to Penn State, so it was never a question of where I wanted to go. What really drew me in was the community within the college of ag and especially in the ag ed major. I love how close everyone is and no matter where I go, I can usually find someone I know." Erica's favorite place to hang out at is 213 Ferguson building or in AVBS or ASI lobby. Erica is a student worker for the Center for Professional Personnel Development. She is also the current president for the PSU FFA Alumni and Supporters club. Erica is a part of Teach Ag! Avenger, Ag Advocates, and Beta Sisterhood of Delta Theta Sigma.  Erica's favorite Penn State class is Animal Science 201. She says "It is definitely not an easy class by any means, but it has a ton of great animal science content. I really enjoyed the labs because there was some opportunity to get a more hands on look at what we covered in lecture." 

Erica's favorite sports teams are Penn State Nittany Lions Wrestling. Erica mentioned that she got to attend the US Olympic team trial for wrestling at the Bryce Jordan center. 

Some of Erica's hobbies include hanging out with friends, reading, going for walks and watching movies. 

Erica says her passion for agriculture is "just advocating for the agricultural industry and those involved. As an ag teacher, I want to be able to create more educated consumers and encourage others to pursue opportunities within the agricultural industry. Through sharing my own story, I hope to make a meaningful impact on my future students."  Erica has helped to educate consumers about the agriculture industry through her past Internship where she was an intern at the Washington County Extension Office. This coming summer she has an internship with Horizon Farm Credit as a Customer Experience Intern. Erica's future plans are "to be in a classroom teaching agriculture to either middle school or high school students. Right now, I think going back to my home school or just back to my home county to teach would be really great. However, I know that God has a greater plan for me and wherever I end up is where I am meant to be."

One experience that Erica had throughout her time at Penn State is that she got to travel to Belize in March of 2023. She said "I took the AEE 499 class which included a spring break immersion. We spent the first part of the class learning about the culture and environment of Belize then during spring break we spent 8 days in the country. I enjoyed getting to see so many different aspects of their agricultural industry including a few different farms as well as visiting a couple of schools and agricultural education programs. My favorite part was touring the Mayan ruins called Xunantunich. A couple of other highlights of the trip were visiting a chocolate company and staying our last night at the Belize Zoo. "

One interesting fact about Erica is that she is currently serving as the 2024 Pennsylvania Fair Queen!!!

Erica's favorite quote is:

"Sometimes what didn't work out for you really worked out for you."

-Unknown

Follow Erica on Instagram @ericateagarden and on Twitter @ erica_teagarden

Cameron Goodyear

CPPD Student Worker

Agricultural and Extension Education

Class of 2026