Meet the 2022 September AEE Student of the Month: Grace Shawver

 September 2022 AEE Student Of The Month

Grace Shawver 

Each month the Center for Professional Personnel Development recognizes students that have outstanding achievements both academically and with extra-curricular activities and involvement. This month, we are excited to announce the 2022 Agricultural and Extension Education Student of the Month for September as Grace Shawver. She is a senior majoring in Agricultural and Extension Education and she hails from Coburn, Pennsylvania.

Grace is from Coburn, PA. She graduated from Penns Valley Area School District high school. Her intended graduation year from Penn State is 2023, majoring in Agriculture Extension and Education, with Minors in Agronomy and International Agriculture.

When asked why she chose Penn State, she responded: "I always knew that I wanted to pursue an agricultural degree and my Dad worked at the creamery. Saying this, I was very familiar with the campus, it was close to home, and it is one of the most popular land grant schools."

Her favorite PSU Class is AEE 349. Which is Shop Processes for Agricultural Educators. She was also involved in many Penn State clubs including Penn State FFA Alumni and Supporters, Penn State Beef/Sheep (Summer 2019- Fall 2021), Pasto Agricultural Museum (Summer 2021), and Global Teach Ag Network (Spring 2020- current). Her favorite Hang-out on Campus is Ferguson 214. Her favorite place to eat in State College is Lupita's Authentic Mexican Food. Her hobbies include "spending time outside like hunting, finding wild mushrooms, riding a dirt bike, and camping."

Grace's 4-H/FFA Background is with Penns Valley 4-H club. "I did various projects such as rocket making, tie dye, sewing, baking, vegetable growing, flower arrangements, and showing rabbits." She was also involved in Penns Valley FFA and was a sentinel for 2 years and competed in Vet Science and Agronomy.

"I can truly say that I have a strong interest in all aspects of agriculture locally and globally, and I want to grow and learn more within every content area. My interest started with working with animals and helping my Dad with fieldwork, so I would have to say that my strongest passions are animal science and agronomy, specifically forage crops."

"I grew up on a small beef farm in Penns Valley helping my Dad with everything that I could, which is where my interest and knowledge in agriculture were founded."

We asked Grace what her favorite experience was of traveling abroad and working for GTAN. She responded: "My favorite experience traveling to Nepal was simply being able to learn and submerge myself in a culture very different from my own. My favorite part about working for GTAN was growing my knowledge of agriculture past my local experience. Through GTAN I connected with educators and agriculturalists worldwide, which have provided me with a network that I will use for the rest of my career. If it wasn't for the Global Teach Ag Network and Dr. Foster and Dr. Miller Foster I would have never experienced such profound professional growth that has transformed me into a globally competent educator."

Grace will be student teaching next semester at Selinsgrove Area High School with Mrs. Val Fry. She shared that she is most excited "to be able to meet the students and get to share my passion for agriculture, which I hope will spark a passion in them." While student teaching she will be instructing the following classes: Agriculture Foundations, Vet Science, Horticulture, and Building Construction.

Grace's favorite quote is "Farmers who wait for perfect weather plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest."- Ecclesiastes 11:4

Congratulations again, Grace! We are so proud of you! To keep up with Grace follow her on Twitter or on Instagram @GraceShawver

Sara Lichty

CPPD Student Worker

Agricultural Sciences

Class of 2023