Marissa McPeak-Kennedy is December AEE Student of the Month!

 December AEE Student of the Month

The Center for Professional Personnel Development would like to recognize Marissa McPeak-Kennedy as the December Agricultural and Extension Education Student of the Month. During her time at Penn State in the AEE major, Marissa has shown outstanding efforts in and out of her academics. She is majoring in Agricultural and Extension Education with a minor in International Agriculture and graduates in May of 2025. Marissa is from Baden, Pennsylvania and attended Ambridge Area High School. 

When asked why she chose Penn State Marissa says, "I chose Penn State because when I was in eighth grade, my school took us on a field trip to the Penn State Beaver campus, and I fell in love that day. I knew form that point on, I was going to be a Penn State whether that be at a branch campus or at main campus." Her favorite class so far has been ENT 222N which is Honeybees and Humans she says, "This class not only taught me about a topic I previously had no knowledge on, but also gave opportunities for hands on learning and field trips." On campus she has been involved in the Dairy Science Club, Alpha Tau Alpha, a work study Secretary for the Animal Science Department, and a Teach Ag! Avenger. Marissa loves to hand out in the HUB for a lively environment and the library for a more quiet one.

 

During her time at Penn State, Marissa has had many defining experiences. First she notes that in her freshman year she switch from Animal Science to Agricultural and Extension Education. She also was a part of the Global Orientation to Agriculture Learning program where she got to learn about global agriculture and then teach for a week at a school in Kentucky. Marissa has also enjoyed attending the PAAE and NAAE teacher conferences to gain knowledge and resources from current agriculture teachers.

One interesting thing about Marissa is that she has worked at the Pittsburgh Zoo for seven years. Her hobbies include playing with her dogs and geckos, listening to music, watching animal documentaries, and painting. She loves to eat at SNAP Pizza and her favorite sports teams are the Pittsburg Penguins and the Penn State Nittany Lions. 

Beginning in January, Marissa will be student teaching at Twin Valley High School with Mrs. Nicole Weaver. She will teach Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources (AFNR), Plant Science, and Agriculture Leadership/Global Agriculture. She is most excited to work wither her cooperating teacher to use some creative ways to teach the classes. Her cooperating teacher is the ag teacher and drama teacher so she is excited to see how the two overlap. 

Marissa's future plans are to go into the classroom and teach agriculture. Ideally, she would like to get a job in or create an elementary agriculture program. Her agriculture interest and passion are focused on global agriculture and natural resources.

Marissa's favorite quote is: 

"Success is not a miracle. nor is it a matter of luck. Everything happens for a reason, good or bad, positive or negative."

Follow Marissa on Social Media 

@marissamkennedy

Erica Teagarden

CPPD Student Worker

Agricultural and Extension Education

Class of 2026

Gage McCabe is November AEE Student of the Month!

 November AEE Student of the Month

The Center for Professional Personnel Development would like to recognize Gage McCabe as the November Student of the Month for his outstanding efforts. Gage is majoring in Agricultural and Extension Education and will graduate in May of 2025. He is from Manheim Central, Pennsylvania and attended Manheim Central High School. Gage was involved in the Manheim FFA Chapter and was heavily involved in Career Development Events. He specifically enjoyed the Natural Resources and Environment event and was top 10 individually every year he competed. In his Junior year his team won states and went to compete at the national level where they placed in the top 20.

During his time at Penn State, he has enjoyed RPTM 326 - Natural History Interpretation with Doug Wren. Gage chose Penn State because, "of the highly regarding agriculture program. I also grew up as a Penn State sports fan, I visited the campus regularly as a child growing up and I always wanted to be a student here." His favorite hang out place on campus is either room 007 in the Ferguson Building or the Arboretum, specifically in the bird house structure in the morning. Gage had the opportunity to partake in the SEED Semester at Shaver's Creek in the Spring of 2023 He said, "In this semester I gained valuable leadership building skills, along with lots of experience teaching in a classroom setting along with the outdoors setting. While in this semester, we take a 16 day trip to the Northeaster stats where we partake in many team building activities while also visiting environmental centers, recreational centers, and other education centers to gain exceptional experiences and knowledge from the career field that involve both education and recreation. I was able to build my knowledge of the environmental world with my time at Shaver's Creak and it will always hold a special place in my heart."

In January, Gage will begin student teaching at Otto-Eldred with Mr. Brandon Witmer. He will be teaching Ag Mechanics including welding, small gas, and electrical systems, Ag Science, including animals science, small animal science, food safety, and plant science, and Ag Business. He is most excited to be a part of the planning for the PAAE summer session as it will be hosted by Otto-Eldred in the summer of 2025.

Gage's future plans include to teach agriculture and life skills to the next generation of leaders in a high school classroom. He has a passion for Agriculture Mechanics and could teach almost any subject with no preparation but says, "my heart truly lies with Environmental sciences."

Gage's favorite quote is: 

"The name on the front is a hell of a lot more important than the name on the back."

 - Herb Brooks

Follow Gage on Social Media 

@mr.mccabepsu

Erica Teagarden

CPPD Student Worker

Agricultural and Extension Education

Class of 2026

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