2014 Student Teacher Emily Urban Travels to World Food Prize

Agriculture IS Sexy!

For most of us here in the United States, if we want to eat something, we: open up the refrigerator or the pantry, pick up the phone for delivery, stop at the local super market, or meet up with friends at a restaurant. The availability of food does not cross our minds and this luxury is a given in most of our lives. However, food insecurity is a major and rapidly growing issue around the world, as population, environmental, social and other pressures limit the availability for millions of people to obtain a dependable, nourishing, and safe food supply.

Penn State World Food Prize attendees from left to right: Veronica Pasi, Emily Urban, Sarah Eissler, Anh Tuyet Tran, and Abraham DeHart (missing) 

I, and four other Penn State students, had the opportunity this past week to spend three days in Des Moines, Iowa, attending the World Food Prize. After being granted a full scholarship to attend this conference, I was prepared to be inspired by the work being done around the world to improve food security issues. The World Food Prize is held annually to recognize top biotechnology achievements in the field and to conduct dialogue pertaining to the many different issues related to this area. With top industry correspondents and international guests, world leaders in the area of international agriculture gathered together in the remembrance of Norman Borlaug’s achievements in biotechnology and the impact that the Green Revolution had on the world, as it brought millions out of hunger, especially in Latin America. Guests and speakers at this year’s World Food Prize included Tony Blair, Howard Buffet, Cardinal Peter Turkson, the President of Iceland, and corporate CEO’s, including Brett Begemann from Monsanto.

Agriculture IS sexy

This was a major theme after Mpule Kwelagobe, CEO of MPULE Institute for Endogenous Development, stated this boldly in the opening session. Young people are losing interest in agriculture she argued, the subject that feeds the world! To me, this is how the importance of agricultural education comes into view. We as agricultural educators, whether in formal school or informal settings, are given the notable task of promoting agriculture and expanding agricultural literacy not only here in the US but also around the world.

ARE YOU UP FOR THE CHALLENGE?!

The State Capitol Building of Iowa.

The inspiration and knowledge of opportunities that I gained from this experience will have a lasting impact on my professional development. As I am currently a senior in Agricultural Education and Extension with a minor in International Agriculture, I am looking into entering graduate school with plans of making a positive impact on global food insecurity issues, while also utilizing my agricultural education background. It was truly amazing how top professionals from around the world were simply sitting next to us during speaker sessions, and we all jumped on the opportunity to talk to as many people as possible. Many of us gained career ideas, job offers, and graduate school opportunities.

To check out more about this year’s World Food Prize, checkout #worldfoodprize and #agricultureissexy.

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!

Emily Urban
@UrbanEmilyR
Student Guest Blogger
2014 Student Teacher 
Oley Valley High School

PSU Ag Councils Recognizes AEE Major with Youth Leadership Award

Caleb at the luncheon ready to get his award

Caleb Wright, a senior in agricultural education was recently awarded the Youth Leadership Award by the Penn State Agricultural Council. Every year the Penn State Ag Council recognizes three groups; one is a member of council for their leadership, second is a student, and third is a member or group in the agricultural industry.

Caleb was nominated for the award by his advisers and was asked to provide a resume to send into the selection committee. After sending in his resume, he was emailed said that he was selected for the award and was asked to attend the meeting to receive the award.

Caleb with his award!!

After receiving the award Caleb said “To be recognized by your peers when being elected to an office is one thing, but to be recognized by the leaders of the industry for your efforts as a student and leader is a once in a lifetime opportunity.” He is also very excited to have been selected and receive a lion statue. It is especially an honor because all of the agriculture in Pennsylvania is represented on the council and being recognized really shows that all of the work completed by you has not gone unnoticed.

Caleb feels refreshed and pumped up to go into the world as an agent of change. “This award was not won on one skill or event in my life. It has been the accumulation of taking chances and surrounding myself with amazing people and friends.” Caleb said, as he reflected on his time at Penn State.

The Agriculture and Extension Education Program has seen many student receive this award before Caleb.  This really shows the caliber of the students in the program and the amazing opportunities that the faculty provides. Students feel that taking advantage of one opportunity leads to the ability and want to do more. Sometimes students only need to take that first step to set themselves apart from the masses and find themselves as an individual. The Penn State Agriculture and Extension Education program as well as the Agricultural Economics, Sociology and Education Department enable every student to reach their amazing potential.

The Lion that will be displayed on his desk this spring while student teaching at Midd-West High School

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!

Jeanne Case

Student Blogger

2014 Dover HS Student Teacher

Twitter: JRose_Case

Teach Ag! Society: Brand New Spirit!

Teach Ag! Society and ATA recruitment board

Teach Ag! Society, a newly formed club at the Pennsylvania State University, has kicked started the new year with a bang! With big events such as the Welcome Back Picnic and celebrating National Teach Ag Day on the 26^th of September, they are really making a splash in the College of Agricultural Sciences.

Teach Ag! Society was formed as a branch of the Alpha Tau Alpha, an honorary professional agricultural fraternity. In order to be a member of Alpha Tau Alpha, a student must be in their junior year and have a GPA above a 3.0. This greatly limited the number of students that could be involved in the club. Since students could only be full members for two semesters, Teach Ag! Society was born to solve the problem of the rapid turnover rate.

Teach Ag! Society is open to all majors and focuses on students interested in promoting and teaching agriculture. They participate in the Alpha Tau Alpha Conclave at National FFA Convention where students get to show off their knowledge in Quiz Bowl, Parliamentary Procedure, essay writing and debate about agricultural education topics. They also try to enhance what their members are learning in class during club time by discussing current topics in agricultural education.

Students at National Teach Ag Day brunch

The club started the semester with many goals to work towards throughout the year.  So far, members have helped out at CDE Day, hosted by CFFA, by running workshops for parliamentary procedure and prepared public speaking CDEs. The club recently celebrated the first ever PSU National Teach Ag Day, and are currently working on having students participate in the ATA conclave during National Convention in late October.

To celebrate National Teach Ag Day the club hosted a brunch in the ASI building.  About fifteen teachers from across the college came together to enjoy food and company and receive recognition for teaching the wonderful subject of agriculture. Meagan Slates, president of Teach Ag Society, was happy with the first year’s turnout, but hopes more professors will come out to celebrate with the club next fall. Another event hosted by the club on Teach Ag Day was a National Association of Agricultural Educators live webcast party.  During this event, the students indulged in lunch and snacks while following the live twitter feed of the #taglive13 while watching the panel on TV. Students enjoyed connecting with agricultural enthusiasts across the nation through the live feed. It was especially fun when Penn State was recognized nationally for some of their efforts through shout outs from the panel. Lastly, the club sent resources for Teach Ag Day to 160 agricultural programs in Pennsylvania, which included: a lesson plan for Teach Ag Day, a letter thanking the teacher, an invitation to National FFA Convention, a PSU Teach Ag Day poster, a social media postcard, and a link to the YouTube promotional video that a member of Teach Ag! Society created.

Students at the live Teach Ag webcast Party

The club is continuing to grow and provide their students with resources and fun activities. Upcoming events include Bonfire/social event on November 7th  and NATIONAL CONVENTION during the week of October 30^th where they HOPE TO BRING HOME SOME TROPHIES!

Teach Ag! Society’s mission is to promote the high standards and ideals of agricultural and extension education, to promote a bond between individuals in and those that have an interest in the world of agricultural extension education, to aid in the development of leadership, citizenship, and scholarship, and to cooperate in promoting the interest of the national organizations of Alpha Tau Alpha and Teach Ag!

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!

Jeanne Case

Student Blogger

2014 Dover HS Student Teacher

Twitter: JRose_Case

PA FFA Fall Leadership Conference: New experiences for both high school and college students!

FLC, formally known as Fall Leadership Conference was hosted in Blair County, October 1^st at a convention center. The purpose of the conference is to teach and reinforce the different duties of FFA officers, as well as jump start new members of the FFA. It also serves the purpose of allowing pre-student teachers at Penn State to gain “real life” experience by teaching the different officer workshops.

Students work on scrapbooks during the "catch all" workshop

Penn State focuses on giving their students experience in the classroom before they student teach in the spring. FLC is the perfect outlet for that experience. This year, the 2014 student teaching cohort split into groups of two or three with one shadow teacher. The shadow teacher is typically a junior in the major that will be presenting at FLC next year.

Student teacher groups consisted of Michael Petrun and Tyler Cremeans completing the President workshop with Jillian Gordon as their shadow teacher. Vice President was taken care of by Mindy Stoops, Meagan Slates, and Jessie Ross, with Laura Metrick as their shadow teacher. The secretary workshop was taught by Brittany Rigg, Caleb Wright and Quinn Cachell with Cassidy Cheddar as their shadow teacher. Kate Livingston and Valerie Laub with Megan Keller as their shadow taught the treasurer workshop. The sentinel workshop was taught by Emily Urban, Jeanne Case and shadow teacher Jena Shaffer. The reporter workshop was taught by Anenette Sprenkel and Casi Foster with Kate Basset as their shadow.  Lastly, was the “catch all” group which included chaplains, parliamentarians, and student advisors. This group was taught by Billy Saylor, Todd McMillian, Allison Hoover and shadow teacher Howard Poole.

Mike said, “at first it was hard to imagine running a two hour workshop, but then time flew by and we didn’t even have enough time to finish all of our activities and wish there would have been more time to fit everything in.” This was Mike’s first FFA conference ever.

Allison Hoover, another pre-student teacher said “it was great to see the cohort teaching styles in actions. By having students in front of us, it was a good reminder on how to be prepared and motivated for real students as opposed to lab.”

Dr. John Ewing said, “FLC is a great opportunity for future teachers at Penn State to interact with current FFA members. I believe that everyone learned a lot as FLC is one of the first teaching opportunities for pre-student teachers.”

After lunch all the pre-students teachers met with Dr. Daniel Foster (@FosterDanielD) and Dr. John Ewing (@jce122)  to talk about the workshops that had gone on in the morning. Topics were discussed such as adaptations that have to be made on the fly, giving the students enough time to process information, and teaching while remaining silent. In addition, critical elements such as enthusiasm, creating energy in the beginning and keeping it, and getting the unmotivated students involved.

Jena Shaffer said “I am really glad that I was asked to be a shadow teacher at FLC this year, because I got to experience what the atmosphere is like and that this conference is all about. I believe that this will be extremely beneficial in preparing a workshop for next year.”

Another 2015 student teacher, Kate Basset said “after being a shadow teacher, I have picked up a few ideas, methods, and strategies that I can implement in my workshop planning for next year”.

Annette Sprenkel said, “The level of energy depends on you! If you lose the energy it's really hard to get it back. While you're teaching it’s important to watch your students body language to determine if they need a change. Example: When students start yawning, they need to get up and move around.”

Other aspects of the conference included workshops that the State Officers hosted for the new students. Some of the workshops included Official Dress, FFA History, SAEs and Teamwork. There was even a chapter,Williamsport, at the conference that had just been chartered two weeks ago! Austin Shay, Pennsylvania State Sentinel, said, “I believe that the day went great. Students were engaged and excited to learn and meet new people from across the state. Plus this conference is special because you do not have to be an FFA member to attend.”

Matt Reutlinger presents to all the students about WLC

To end the conference, 2015 student teacher, Matthew Reutlinger, hosted a workshop to get students pumped for WLC (Washington Leadership Conference) in the summer. This past summer, Matt spent seven weeks in Washington, D.C. as a facilitator for National FFA. There, he worked with students from across the country to develop a personal plan to become better citizens. This is referred to as a “living to serve plan", as it helps to address problems that students see in their home, local and global community. Matt had a different style than the other presenters as the FFA members had to chant “Let us in, let us in” in order to be let into the room and for the session to start. Matt reflected on the day saying, “It was nice to be able to facilitate again. Connecting with a new generation of students is always a refreshing experience. I think students were caught off guard by my uncommon form of facilitation and that created some difficulties. I do think they were receptive to the process though.” Hopefully there will be some better Pennsylvania representation at WLC this summer after this presentation.

Todd McMillien and Billy Saylor, 2014 student teachers check to see what is wrong

As the life for a teacher never really ends, Penn State students go to apply their knowledge of AEE 297 and AEE 350 on their way home. When the vans stopped for ice cream, a seemingly very popular place for people after FLC, one of the high school vans from an FFA chapter broke down. Dr. Ewing and some of the more mechanic-savy students came to the rescue with a rubber floor mat and a hose clamp. There was problems with the pin hole fittings heater return line. There was also not that much oil in the in the engine as well. All in all it was a good that that got to put multiple Penn State agricultural education classes into real life practice.

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!

Jeanne Case

Student Blogger

2014 Dover HS Student Teacher

Twitter: JRose_Case

Undergraduate, Emily Urban, travels to Brazil for research

ESALQ students picking up avocados after a bad storm

“Oh…and take care. We have scorpions here in Brazil.” My eyes opened up as I continued to carefully dig through the random assortment of scrap metal and plastic pipes that we were clearing at the organic farm. I have to say I was appreciative of my Brazilian friend’s advice! By the way, offering a free day of labor on someone’s farm sure helps to make friends quickly. Little did they know how much I was dying to experience as much Brazilian culture as possible. 

What happens when an ‘ag-crazy’ undergrad Penn Stater gets a research grant to conduct her independent research in Brazil? To be honest, that was me and I didn’t have a clue what to expect. I was excited to interview Brazilian agriculture students at ESALQ, the university I was located at, for my project concerning Brazilian undergraduate perceptions of student-student and student-staff relationships in agriculture classes in the US and Brazil, but other than that, my goal was to learn as much as I could about Brazilian agriculture. 

This video shows ESALQ campus and history

Emily and Sarah, a fellow Penn Stater, standing in a city part in Rio.

One of Brazil’s wonderful cultural characteristics is its generous and sociable people, so it was not difficult to arrange experiences at an organic small-scale crop farm, receive tours of the crop and livestock testing facilities of the top agriculture university in South America, ESALQ, walk amongst banana and coffee plants, chew on raw sugarcane, collect avocadoes, and so much more. The only way one can make the most out of an experience like this is an adventurous spirit and always say “yes.” You outgrow the “Say no to strangers” parental advice and move onto a “yes” mentality, obviously with good judgment. Stepping out of your security bubble is when the opportunities and the true experiences begin to flow. The two weeks in Piracicaba were also filled with plenty of dancing, traditional music, Brazilian BBQs, trips to Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, and other cultural must-sees…all with the “yes” mentality!  As I am currently preparing to student teach next semester, I want to stretch students out of their confidence zones when I can. As a future educator, I would like to help students grow a “yes” mentality to new ideas and situations that they develop self-reliance and confidence that they can take with them throughout their career trajectory. 

A 16 hour solo bus journey to the capital city, Brasilia, was totally survivable! I was greeted with open arms by a wonderful host family for my final week in Brazil. The mother is the director of Brazil’s Science Without Boarders program, which is the Brazilian government’s ambitious initiative to send their students abroad.  I also had the ability to visit Embrapa, Brazil’s main agriculture research center, and spent a large portion of the time touring the crop genetics and biofuel labs and facilities. With their daughter, I visited a showjumping riding and training center with a fellow equine enthusiast.

And my point of sharing a glimpse of this experience is…?

                    1.)     I am a college student on a budget. The truth is with a little creativity and ambition, there is funding out there, even undergraduates to grasp opportunities like mine.

                    2.)    There were ups and downs in the trips. Even frightening times, but also amazing times. An independent international experience that is practically completely self-guided can be challenging, but so rewarding.

                    3.)    This trip has opened my eyes to be REALLY appreciative some of the things we take for granted in the US, including our education system and agriculture policies.

                    4.)    Finally, I want to help connect undergraduates to grants and experiences like this, because it was an unbelievable way to make international contacts, be inspired about new career ideas, and have an overall incredible experience…so contact me if you would like to hear more. Tchau!

HUB Lawn equivalent of ESALQ.

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!

Emily Urban - Guest Blogger
2014 Student Teacher 
Oley Valley High School
@UrbanEmilyR

Ag Ed Major Nathan Repetz is President of Pennsylvania 4-H State Council!

In going and out going State Council members. 

Nathan Repetz a freshman at Penn State Altoona and an Agricultural Education major has been honored with the position of president on the Pennsylvania 4-H State Council! He attended the 4-H State Achievement Days in early August, after he had submitted an application to be on council. He had to provide three references, personal information and history, and six short answer questions in the application and the process continued during the State Achievement Days.  There, he had to give a speech introducing himself, and an impromptu speech, meet with the selection panel and tell them his 4-H story, followed by a ten minute interview. He received a phone call that night telling him that he had been selected to be on council, but they were not planning to announce officer positions until the last day of the State Achievement Days. The next morning, at the closing ceremonies, they called the officers in reverse order and realized he was president when he was the last one called. He is dedicated to giving his best in leading the Council!

Nathan will have many duties as president of the Pennsylvania 4-H State Council, with the main one being the face of the program. All the council officers are to promote and represent the program at 4-H events with government officials, community organizations and programmatic stakeholders. Nathan has the privilege to be the “ go to guy” and is the first one contacted if an unscheduled event comes up. The other duties that he is in charge of are giving speeches, attending special events, overseeing the council, creating agendas, running meetings with proper parli-pro, and encouraging members to participate and do their best. The council officers have already created ELMARs – Encourage, Lead, Motivate, Advocate and Represent. Nate wrote down different ways that he will represent the ELMARs,  such as “ I will represent the council by embodying the 3 C’s: Calm, Cool and Collected,” and “I will advocate to the public about current agricultural and extension issues.”

Nate on an exchange trip!

Nate’s main project areas in 4-H were shooting sports ( air rifle, air pistol, shotgun, and muzzleloader projects) and teen leadership (serving on his county council, being a camp counselor, and submitting a yearly teen leadership log for judging). Other projects that he completed are two levels of the small engines project,

photography, babysitting, electricity, and public speaking. He also went on two county exchange trips to Burleson County, Texas and Doniphan County, Kansas and extra things to do with the organization, as they are not official projects.

As he continues through his 4-H State Council experience, he believes that it will have a great impact on his career as an agricultural teacher. He has a strong belief that FFA and 4-H are two great organizations that can learn a lot from each other and that the experiences learned in one can be transferred to the other. He said “one of our council goals this year is to close the gap between 4-H and FFA members, and I look forward to supporting both organizations for the rest of my life!” He also believes that state council will be helpful due to all the networking, and new ideas and skills to make his teaching the best it can be. He is also receiving a lot of training being on council that can be applied to any profession in the industry, such as social media training, goal setting, public speaking, and etiquette. Lastly, he said that serving on State Council has made him even more convinced that teaching agriculture is his calling!

L-R Nate and Dylan Levan (State Sentinel) at Ag Progress Days!

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!

Jeanne Case

Student Blogger

2014 Dover HS Student Teacher

Twitter: JRose_Case

8 Students in Agricultural Education at Penn State Receive High National FFA Award!

Every year there is a degree awarded to only .5% of FFA members. The students have shown their passion and commitment to FFA and have worked hard on their Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE).This prestigious degree is the AMERICAN DEGREE which is awarded every year at the National FFA Convention. Some of the qualifications include taking a certain amount of agricultural classes in college or high school, being within the time span between high school graduation and three years thereafter, maintaining high-quality grades, and working or investing a certain monetary equivalent towards their projects.  

This year, Pennsylvania has 74 American Degree Recipients, whom will be receiving their degrees this October in Louisville, KY. Eight of those recipients are current Agricultural Education Majors at Penn State!

Kate showing her Market Steer

Kate Livingston, a 2014 student teacher, completed her American Degree based on her projects titled Market Swine, Market Sheep and Market Steer. After she raised all three animals, she showed them at the York County Fair in September.  Kate said that her SAE exposed her to new experiences stating, “Having no prior knowledge before taking on the SAE, I made a number of connections for help and support during my first few years. This has given me the “go get it” attitude to be able to utilize a vast variety of resources and make connections.” She believes that the resources and connections she has made along the way because of her SAE projects will give her future students an advantage to additional opportunities outside of the standard curriculum.

Deanna Miller, a 2015 student teacher, partook in SAE projects titled Vegetable and Egg Production.  She grew tomatoes, potatoes, string beans, broccoli, peppers, cauliflower, squash, zucchini, and watermelons in her 2500 square foot garden. She would freeze the vegetables to use later and market them to friends and family, but most of the time she just gave it away to whoever could use it. For the Egg Production SAE she raised white leghorns and Rhode Island Reds averaging about 40 hens at a time. Deanna raised the hens from chicks herself and then kept them as laying hens.  She said that as a future educator, having an American FFA Degree is just one more thing to encourage students to keep working towards their goals. The degree also portrays her hard work and dedication, since it is admirable toward employers in a variety of agricultural fields.  

Bryanna Kenno, a 2015 Student Teacher, has an employment SAE, specifically as a sandwich artist at Subway. She worked at Subway part time for three years and it related to agriculture, as she was involved with food handling, preparation, and safety. Through receiving her American Degree, she has learned how to keep accurate records for SAE projects and will be able to help her future students do the same.

Rachel Telez, a 2015 student teacher, had a variety of SAE projects as well. She completed Entrepreneurship Goat Production, Goat Finishing, Beef finishing, Swine Finishing, Sheep Finishing and Exploratory: Vet. She raised all the animals and showed the goats at the county fair and at the state farm show. Rachel worked towards the star award in her goat breeding herd. When she worked at the veterinary office, she learned time management, experienced working with others, and developed a better sense of her career trajectory. For the market goats, she started with just one goat and ended up with over 40 breeding does! She learned time management, responsibility, and marketing. Rachel used her other livestock projects to learn how to manage money, so she could pay for college. She said that “by obtaining my American Degree, I can encourage my future students to do so as well. She added, “It has created a burning passion for agriculture in me, and I cannot wait to share it with my future classroom!”

Kelsey and her pleasure horse, Chance

Kelsey Henry, a 2016 Student Teacher, completed two SAE’s – Goat Finishing Entrepreneurship and Pleasure Horse Entrepreneurship. For the goat finishing project, she raised goats to exhibit in a market goat class at the Perry County Fair. For her first year she started with one goat, but ended up with having three by the end of her project. For the pleasure horse project, she recorded the daily activities of taking care of a horse and kept track of all the shows that she went to with her horse Chance.  She believes that getting her American Degree has helped her learn the importance of keeping accurate records on projects.  It also showed her to push her future students to work hard and reach their goals.

Olivia Murphey- Sweet, a 2016 Student Teacher, got her American FFA Degree by completing an On Farm Employment SAE project. Every summer since she was in high school, she would travel to Camp Friendship in Palmyra, Virginia for ten weeks. There she would teach the campers English horseback riding lessons and horse care. She met staff from around the world and learned different teaching techniques from them. “If you can enjoy meeting the teaching challenges of young girls who have never been away from home, never rode a horse, or be responsible for an activity that could not be left unattended, you can teach anywhere.” Through working at the camp every summer and completing this SAE, she has realized that she wanted to get an Agricultural Education Degree.

Olivia with some of the campers at Camp Friendship

Janae as Lancaster Dairy Princess

Janae Herr, a 2016 Student teacher, had a plethora of SAE projects which helped her work towards reaching her goal of receiving the American Degree. Her SAE’s consisted of Dairy Beef Finishing, Beef Finishing, Market Lamb Finishing, On-Farm Employment, Off-Farm Employment and Practicum Skills – Dairy Promotion.  Janae felt that applying for the American Degree was a very rewarding experience for her, since she got to reflect back on her FFA career as a whole and receive one of the highest honors in the FFA organization.  FFA is a huge part of who she is today, as it helped her to develop her leadership, teamwork and communication skills. She also formed friendships that will last a lifetime and jump started her passion for future involvement in the agricultural industry. As she looks forwards  eventually teaching down the road, she hopes to return to the classroom to be an FFA adviser and give back to the organization that has given so much to her.

Elizabeth Lauver, a student at Penn State Harrisburg, will be awarded the American Degree Award as well at National FFA Convention. This is a shout out to highlight some of the success of the students in the Penn State Agricultural Education program!

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!

Jeanne Case

Student Blogger

2014 Dover HS Student Teacher

Twitter: JRose_Case