Three Students Recieve NAAE Upper Division Scholarship

Students studying Agricultural and Extension Education at the Pennsylvania State University were selected as recipients for the Upper Division Agricultural Education Scholarship from the National Association of Agricultural Educators.

The Upper Division Agricultural Education scholarship is awarded to upper level agricultural education majors to help offset expenses during their student teaching experience. Twenty-five students from across the United States were selected based on their academic performance as well as on leadership and service activities. Penn State is proud to call three recipients our own!  Penn State students chosen were Kayla Hack, Miranda Kane, and Matthew Snyder -- 2017 Penn State Student Teacher Candidates.

Dr. Foster, an Assistant Professor in Agricultural and Extension Education and Student Teacher Coordinator, believes that these three students are well deserving of the scholarship.  “As a teacher educator, I believe our goal is to cultivate the dispositions in our candidates of: empathy, hunger for continued learning/critical analysis and service. I believe our three students’ actions have truly evidenced all three of these.” The combination of the described dispositions has allowed these students to become better prepared for their next journey as student teachers.

Kayla Hack will be a student teacher at Pequea Valley High School this Spring. During her student teaching experience she will continue to cultivate hunger for continued learning/critical analysis in the classroom. Kayla believes that, “The future of our country and world depends on agriculture, and will be at the front lines of the global issues that my students and I will face. As an agricultural educator I have the unique ability to ask questions that intersect with global problems and other academic subjects. These questions can lead my students and I to discover how we will face the problems of today and the ones of tomorrow." 

Miranda Kane will be a student teacher at Greenwood High School this Spring.  During her student teaching experience she will continue to cultivate empathy in the classroom. “I envision myself working with students of all walks of life, sharing knowledge, and witnessing them grow in their experiences. I enjoy advocating for something that is so essential to humanity, as agriculture. I also love the idea of working with students who can go out and continue sharing about agriculture.”

Matthew Snyder will be a student teacher at Mifflinburg High School this Spring. During his student teaching experience he will continue to cultivate service. Matthew has seen how his service as a future educator is, “Providing opportunities for the youth to expand their knowledge and experiences in agriculture. This can be achieved through hands-on learning with SAE projects and community development opportunities.”

Kayla Hack, Miranda Kane, and Matthew Snyder are truly deserving of the Upper Division Agricultural Education Scholarship. The scholarship will prove useful as they journey through their student teaching experience!

The funding for the NAAE Upper Division Scholarship program comes from National Geographic Learning | Cengage Learning and donations by NAAE members. NAAE is the professional organization in the United States for agricultural educators. It provides its nearly 8,000 members with professional networking and development opportunities, professional liability coverage, and extensive awards and recognition programs. The mission of NAAE is “professionals providing agricultural education for the global community through visionary leadership, advocacy and service”.  The NAAE headquarters are in Lexington, KY.

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.

Halee Wasson

Student Blogger

Twitter Handle: @wasson_halee

2018 Agriculture Education Student Teacher