Highlighting Penn State Ag Ed Students that Participated in Cohort 1 of GOALs

What is GOALs?

The GOALs program is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for PSU and Idaho students to cultivate their proficiency in food security education with REAL experiences! The Global Orientation to Agricultural Learning program (GOALs) is a USDA NIFA Funded project of the Global Teach Ag Network (GTAN) involving the University of Idaho, Penn State, and the World Food Prize Foundation. To learn more, please visit our GOALs page: https://globalteachagnetwork.psu.edu/goals-program/ Earlier this fall you had a chance to meet the current GOALs participants. Now let’s take you back to where it all started…with our first cohort!

Mckenzie Mahler 

Mckenzie brought insight to our group meetings through her knowledge and previous experience with Ganister Station Adult Day Services. She is currently a junior studying Agricultural and Extension Education at Penn State #psuaged24, and enjoyed her time spent at the World Food Prize in 2021. As part of her assignment as a GOALs student, she was able to teach sessions about Global Agriculture in Montana with her immersion partner Krista. Advice that Mckenzie has for future GOALs participants is that they should take advantage of all the opportunities that they might have to make connections during this experience. Mckenzie shared that throughout her time in the GOALs program, she was able to connect with experienced educators as well as faculty from other universities and disciplines. She hopes that future participants value these rare opportunities to take part in amazing networking.

Grace Shawver 

Grace is our next member of GOALs Cohort 1 as we look back to #FoodPrize21. She is currently a senior at Penn State majoring in Agricultural and Extension Education, preparing to start her student teaching experience in January. For her immersion, she traveled to North Carolina to teach about Global Agriculture. Grace was able to apply what she learned as a GOALs participant in 2021 as a Senior Intern for the World Food Prize Foundation Global Guides at #FoodPrize22. 

Lauren Hoffman

Welcome Ms. Lauren Hoffman, another member of the first Cohort of GOALs. She is a part of the #psuaged25 cohort, joining the major of Agricultural and Extension Education as a Sophomore this year. Lauren took the methods and information she learned at the World Food Prize and took a leap, the whole way to Idaho for her immersion! Lauren shared that this was such an impactful experience, especially as a freshman.

Ambar Robalino

As a member of the #psuaged23 cohort, you can find Ambar preparing for her upcoming student teaching internship in spring of 2023.  Participating in the first cohort of the GOALS program provided Ambar with valuable skills and experience that she will use at her student teaching placement in Brockway, PA.  Ambar completed her immersion trip in Tennessee with her partner Nicolette. Ambar shared that her experience with GOALs taught her about the need for classroom management and how high schoolers can be very unpredictable. Ambar will use these skills at Brockway in the spring to make the most of her 15-week internship.

Celia Graef 

Celia is a member of the #psuaged24 cohort, majoring in Agricultural and Extension Education. Celia brings a unique perspective to the table, as she has chosen to pursue the environmental option of the major. Celia took what she learned at the 2021 World Food Prize and used it to instruct her students at her North Carolina immersion in the spring of 2021 with Grace. Two takeaways that Celia has shared are the ability to adapt her lesson, be it from a premade lesson plan, or adapting during the school day after teaching it the first time.

Nicolette Cusate 

Next let’s meet Nicolette, better known as “Nickie,” to the rest of her fellow members of the #psuaged23 cohort, as our next member of GOALs Cohort 1. Nickie traveled with Ambar to Tennessee for her immersion, to the Smoky Mountains! The immersion helped in preparing her for her student teaching experience coming in the Spring of 2023.

Krista Mathias 

Finally, Krista is our last PSU GOALs participant from Cohort 1. She is a senior majoring in Agricultural and Extension Education and is a part of the #psuaged23 cohort. Krista was able to take a lot away from the programing of GOALs at the World Food Prize and applied it to her classroom immersion in Montana with her partner Mckenzie. Krista is excited to share her amazing travel experiences with her students at Pequea Valley. 

Are you interested in being a member of Cohort 3? Applications and more details will be coming soon! Be proactive and check our website for a link to apply! https://globalteachagnetwork.psu.edu/goals-program/