Penn State CFFA hosts a Career Development Event Day for High School Students

Here are some of the Penn State  student helpers

On September 28, 2013 Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences lead by the PSU CFFA hosted the first ever Career Development Event (CDE) Day.  A CDE is a competition that connects to various careers and strengthens student’s skills to provide them with both experience and knowledge.  There are 24 CDE’s listed at the national level and 8 of those were offered at the CDE Day at PSU.  The goal of this event was to provide Pennsylvania FFA members a glimpse of the diversity of competitions within the FFA.  An additional benefit was to attract younger agriculturalists to Penn State University.

FFA members and Penn State students conversing together

The CDE Day was organized by Penn State’s Collegiate FFA as a result of a delegate issue “To have a Practice CDE Day” discussed by FFA members at the State Convention in 2012.  During the week’s delegation process, the FFA members decided that they would be appreciative if Penn State’s Collegiate FFA would create and host the event.  The information was passed on to the Collegiate FFA Chapter and the members began to plan.  There were members who reached out to all of the agriculture educators across the commonwealth, and members who communicated with the different agriculture clubs on campus to encourage involvement.  CFFA wanted this event to not just be about Penn State’s FFA program, instead they wanted to emphasize the importance how FFA can connect and relate to any organization.  This event became a tool that helped to mold a stronger sense of community within the College of Agricultural Sciences. 

Students learn more about livestock judging from Block and Bridle

The following clubs played an essential role in the success of the day’s events: The Dairy Science Club who facilitated the Dairy Judging CDE, Tau Phi Delta running the Forestry CDE, Block and Bridle who facilitated both Horse and Livestock Judging, The Teach Ag Society who organized the Parliamentary Procedure and Public Speaking Events, The Small and Exotic Animal Club who ran the Vet Skills CDE, and The Wildlife Society who organized the Wildlife CDE.  There were over 100 students who participated in these events and they came from eleven different FFA chapters throughout Pennsylvania.  The students certainly had a blast and learned a lot.  One student on a response card said, “The people were nice, I learned a lot, I met a lot of new people.”  This response signified to the members of CFFA that they were doing great for the first ever CDE Day.  Throughout the day CFFA members sought feedback from the different clubs, teachers, and students that participated to ensure that the events to follow will only be greater! 

There is a sincere thank you to all of the volunteers, participants and supporters of this event.  Without their faith and encouragement it would not have been possible.  The first line of the FFA Creed states “I believe in the future of agriculture, with a faith born not of words but of deeds.”  Well the people, who showed up with their heart of service on September 28^th, demonstrated that the future of agriculture is certainly in good hands!

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!

Jenna Moser

Guest Student Blogger

2015 Teacher Candidate

Twitter: @JennaLeeMoser