December 2018 Student of the Month: Erin Langdale (@ItsErinLangdale)

Every month we recognize a student within the Agricultural and Extension Education program who has gone above and beyond as our Student of the Month. Ms. Erin Langdale, a junior in the program, has been chosen as our December Student of the Month! Let's learn a little more about Erin and why we've decided to choose her as Student of the Month.

Erin comes to Penn State all the way from Warwick, New York, where she grew up with an active roll in the FFA throughout her high school career. She went on from high school to dedicate a year of service to the New York FFA Association as the 2015-2016 State Reporter while she simultaneously attended her freshman year of college at SUNY Morrisville in Morrisville, New York. Erin began there as an Argibusinss Management major, but soon found through her travels with New York FFA that she had a passion to teach. "I got to experience what it was like to be an ag teacher. Helping to motivate students, and help them find a home in agriculture became a passion of mine, and that passion led me to Penn State." Erin transferred to Penn State for her sophomore year where she joined the Agriculture and Extension Education program. 

Outside of academics, Erin is extremely involved across the University. Last summer she was part of the New Student Orientation Team, helping to welcome almost 8,000 students to Penn State. She also is an active member and the new President of the Leadership, Education, and Agricultural Development (LEAD) Society at Penn State, and a new member of the Coaly Society which focuses on extracurricular involvement in the College of Agricultural Sciences. 

We asked Erin why she chose Agricultural and Extension Education at Penn State, and she said she knew Penn State was where she wanted to be. "The campus is massive and beautiful, and beaming with opportunity." She said she enjoys the small size of the AEE major combined with the big university feel. Erin said she chose AEE because
"...there was no other major where I felt more at home. There's no other way to put it other than the fact that it was the right fit."

Let's learn a little more about Erin: 

Birthday: May 9th
Favorite PSU Class: INTAG 100
Favorite Sports Team: Penn State Football!
Favorite Hangout on Campus: Ferguson 213 or Second Floor HUB
Favorite place to eat in State College: Champs
Favorite Quote: "Embrace uncertainty. Some of the most beautiful chapters in our lives wont have a title until much later." - Bob Goff
4-H/FFA Background: Erin was involved in FFA throughout high school before moving on to become the New York FFA 2015-2016 State Reporter.


Congratulations to Erin Langdale for being selected as our December Student of the Month! We're certainly overjoyed to have her as a part of the Agricultural and Extension Education program, and we're glad she feels right at home! 



Want to read more about Erin Langdale?

• Meet Your New Teach Ag Avengers!

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.

 

Hunter Kauffman

Team Leader, @TeachAgPSU Communications

Wildlife and Fisheries Science

College of Agricultural Sciences

 

Myken Poorman - PA Teacher of the Year Finalist

We always enjoy watching students succeed in classrooms, but it is also very rewarding to see the teachers who facilitate the success of their students achieve goals and awards. Myken Poorman, an Agricultural Educator at Bellefonte High School, is a finalist in the Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year award. Myken graduated from Penn State in 2006 with a B.S. in Agricultural Sciences and a minor in Environmental Soil Science as well as a M.Ed. in AEE from Penn State in 2009.

Myken was nominated for Teacher of the Year by her superintendent. Once she was nominated she had to apply to determine if she was a semi-finalist. After being a semi-finalist, she had a phone interview, which was used to select the finalists. Once she became a finalist she had more steps to complete before the end of June. Next week, December 9-11, 2018 she will be attending the NSTOY-PA and SAS Conference in Hershey where she will meet the current and past finalists. She will learn more about the NSTOY organization and the 2019 Teacher of the Year will be announced.

If she is selected as the Teacher of the Year she will be fulfilling the following goals throughout 2019:

• Encourage quality education for each individual through quality teaching
• Recognize the excellence and commitment of professional educators
• Promote the image of education through public awareness
• Stimulate the personal and professional growth of our members through their participation in workshops or seminars
• Mentor young people entering into the educational profession

Myken is passionate about giving her student real-world experience and practical application to the concepts that she teaches. "Whether it’s having a wildlife biologist speak about their job or dissecting a ruminant stomach to really understand how food moves through the digestive system as a way of exploring how nutrition is a key factor in animal health, I keep my classes relevant." When her administration observes her classroom, they always enjoy and comment about how her students are engaged with the lesson. She will explain a concept, but also show them the concept. Her classes go deeper into the content so students can grasp an understanding of the material.

Her advice for new and current teachers, "Make your classroom one where students are encouraged to do their best, taught that it’s ok to make mistakes, and challenged to create and think for themselves, and be respectful citizens. Never stop learning! Keep your classes up-to-date, relevant, and relate them to real-world experience."

Myken the TeachAg family at Penn State are so excited for you, and we wish you the best of luck next week at the NSTOY-PA and SAS Conference! Congratulations on being a Teacher of the Year finalist!

Luke Kerstetter

Communications Team Member

Twitter Handle: @Luke_Kerstetter

2020 Agricultural Education Student Teacher

November 2018 Student of the Month: Lisa Boltz! (@BoltzLisa)

Every month we recognize a student within the Agricultural and Extension Education program who has gone above and beyond as our Student of the Month. In November, this student was Lisa Boltz, a Senior in the program. Let's learn a little more about Lisa, and why she's been chosen as our November Student of the Month:

Lisa is originally from Lickdale, PA, located in Lebanon County. She was a graduate of Northern Lebanon High School in 2014, where she went on to serve as Pennsylvania FFA's State Treasurer in 2014-2015 before starting her Penn State journey in the fall of 2015 at Penn State Berks. During her past two years at the University Park campus, Lisa has been engaged in everything the College of Agricultural Sciences has to offer while still staying involved with the FFA.

A little more about Lisa:

Birthday: October 9th, 1995
Favorite PSU Class: HORT 201 (tree climbing)
Favorite Sports Team: Penn State Football
Favorite Hangout on Campus: Ferguson Building
Favorite thing at PSU: "Without a doubt my favorite thing at Penn State is the school pride in EVERYTHING. You experience Penn State Pride at sports events, on campus, and even off campus when you meet complete strangers that were once Penn Staters!"
Favorite place to eat in State College: "This is difficult because I try not to go out frequently! I’d say it’s a tie between Moe Monday’s with my roommates and Cracker Barrel dates with the cohort."
Favorite Quote: "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." - Nelson Mandela 
 4-H/FFA Background:

• Lebanon County Horse 4-H from 10 - 18 years old
• Northern Lebanon FFA from 9th - 12th grade
• Parliamentary Procedure LDE
• Public Speaking 
• Regional CDEs 
• Lots of State Conferences! 
• 2014-2015 Pennsylvania State Treasurer 
• 2016 National Delegate

We're proud of Lisa as she prepares for her final presentations in the coming days and we wish her the best of luck as she gets ready to student teach at Dover High School alongside Ms. Britney Marsh in the spring! Lisa's final presentation is on Wednesday, December 12th at 10:15 AM EST. If you would like to tune in and celebrate her success, join her via Zoom.



Want to read more about Lisa Boltz? 

• @TeachAgPSU #psuaged19 members National Award Winners! 
• August 2016 Student of the Month: Lisa Boltz

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.

Hunter Kauffman

Team Leader, @TeachAgPSU Communications

Wildlife and Fisheries Science

College of Agricultural Sciences