Seanna Geiger is named Agricultural and Extension Education December Student of the Month!

The Center for Professional Personnel Development would like to recognize Seanna Geiger as the December Agricultural and Extension Education Student of the Month. Seanna is from Sheshequin, Pennsylvania and attended Athens Area High School. She transferred from Lackawanna College where she received an associates degree in Professional Studies and is now a part of the #psuaged24 cohort at Penn State and will graduate in the spring with a degree in Agricultural and Extension Education. Seanna shares, "Penn State was always a dream for me after attending FFA summer convention as a student. When I decided I wanted to pursue Ag Ed I knew that Penn State is where I wanted to go."

Seanna is not a stranger to agricultural education as she went through the Athens FFA program in high school. She was a member for all four years of high school and participated in many events such as livestock judging, public speaking, and many conferences. She also held the office positions of Historian from 2018-2019 and Vice President from 2019-2020. Seanna grew up in agriculture living on her mom's dairy farm and raising her own laying hens. Seanna says, "This was just the start of my love for agriculture, once I joined the ag program my high school offered it truly opened my eyes to how much more ag held. My true passion lays in the poultry industry where I hope to learn more as time goes on and start a meat chicken operation of my own."

During her time at Penn State, Seanna had the opportunity to participate in the GOALs program and teach in Henry County Kentucky. She says, "This was an incredible experience not only in Kentucky but also attending the World Food Prize was an awesome experience that I was able to make a lot of connections at.". She was also a camp counselor for Outdoor School, go to teach in a non-traditional setting, and gain confidence in herself professionally. Seanna is a member of the Sigma Alpha Professional Sorority where she is chair of philanthropy and works part time in West dining hall as a crew leader. Her favorite place to hang out on campus is in the ASI building. Seanna says, "Anytime I need a place to focus or to have study times with my friends this is where we have gone and it now has become my favorite building on campus". Her favorite class at Penn State is AEE 311 because she has been able to learn about everything that goes into preparing to be an ag teacher and has her excited to be an FFA advisor. She enjoys eating at her favorite restaurant SNAP Pizza, cheering on Penn State sports teams, and having coffee or going for walks with her friends. When she is home, Seanna loves hiking, hunting, fishing, and scrapbooking. In her future, she would like to move back home to Bradford county and find a job teaching agriculture in either Pennsylvania or New York.

In January, Seanna will begin her student teaching experience at Red Lion High School with Ms. Krista Moser. She will be teaching Intro to Agriculture, Animal Science, Vet Science, and Plant and Soil Science. Also, she will be coaching the poultry judging team. Seanna says, "I am looking forward to coaching the Poultry Judging team in the spring. It is exciting that I will be able to help these students succeed in Poultry Judging and see their excitement about the CDE as well.".

Seanna's favorite quote:

"Be better not bitter."

Follow Seanna on Twitter and Instagram
Twitter: @seannageiger
                                               Instagram: @seanna.rae._

Erica Teagarden

CPPD Student Worker

Agricultural and Extension Education

Class of 2026

CPPD November Student of the Month- Celia Graef!

 

AEE November Student of the Month

The Center for Professional Personnel Development would like to congratulate Celia Graef for being recognized as the November Agricultural and Extension Education Student of the Month. Celia is a Senior Majoring in AEE with an Environmental Science Focus and minors in International Agriculture, Entomology, and Biology. She is from State College, Pennsylvania, and graduated from State College Area High School.

When asked why she chose Penn State Celia states that because      "[it]  made sense financially, and I originally wanted to study Entomology, so I was planning on majoring in Immunology and Infectious Disease with a minor in Entomology. I quickly realized that I do not like Chemistry, and I like working with people, so I

switched to AEE. I kept the entomology minor and picked up Biology and International Agriculture so that I can have a well-rounded base of knowledge to use with the teaching skills I've learned through AEE. I'm happy I picked Penn State, and I'm glad I did not stick with Chemistry." Her favorite class that she has taken was Biology 417 which is Invertebrate Biology. On campus, she is involved in the PSU Beekeeper's Club as an executive member and the Entomology Grad Student Association as the Undergraduate Representative.

Celia is particularly interested and passionate about the connection between Agriculture and Environmental Conservation and the importance of teaching Global Agriculture. She has had internships in the Frost Entomological Museum as a Collections Assistant, as a Shaver's Creek Environmental Center Naturalist, and in Boulder, Colorado as a Growing Gardens Educator. A couple of defining experiences in her college career included her Student Engagement and Experiential Discovery (SEED) semester and her involvement in the Global Orientation in Agricultural Learning (GOALs) program. For the future, Celia says" I plan to teach in some capacity, but I'm not exactly sure how I want to do that yet. I can see myself teaching in a high school or middle school classroom teaching Ag, Environmental Science, STEM, or Biology. I can also see myself teaching in an informal setting at an outdoor

school or environmental center.

While on campus, Celia enjoys hanging out in the big comfy chairs in the Forest Resources Building. Her favorite place to eat in State College is Cafe Alina. Her hobbies include sewing, hiking, cooking, and playing the piano. One interesting thing about Celia is that she can play the accordion. 

In January, Celia will begin student teacher with Mrs. Carly Rippole at Derry Area High School. She will be teaching Natural Resources and Ecology, Floral Design, Food Science, Intro to Horticulture, Plant Science, and Equine Science. Both Celia and Mrs. Rippole participated in the SEED semester during their time at Penn State and Celia is excited to learn more about her experiences and how she uses what she learned in the classroom.

Celia's favorite quote:

"A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there." - Gina Milicia

Follow Celia on Twitter: @celia_graef

Erica Teagarden

CPPD Student Worker

Agricultural and Extension Education

Class of 2026

CPPD October Student of the Month- Mckenzie Mahler!

AEE October Student of the Month

The Center for Professional Personnel Development would like to congratulate Mckenzie Mahler on being recognized as the October AEE Student of the Month. She has showed exemplary efforts within her academic and extracurricular involvement. 

Mckenzie is Senior majoring in Agricultural and Extension Education with a minor in International Agriculture. Her future plans include either working in a high school agricultural education program or in a local extension office. Mckenzie chose Penn State because of the many opportunities that are offered to preservice agriculture educators.

Mayan Ruins in Belize

She is from Somerset, Pennsylvania and attended Somerset Area High School. Mckenzie was involved in 4-H and FFA for many years. She was apart of the Steaks and Chops 4-H Club for six years and served as the Secretary. She was also a member of the Somerset Area FFA Chapter and held the officer positions of President, Vice-President, and Sentinel. She served as the President, Vice-President, and Treasurer of the Somerset County FFA Association. Through her experiences in these organizations she participated in raising market lambs and goats as well as various career and leadership development events.

 

Teaching for a week in Montana for GOALs

On campus, Mckenzie has been involved in the Teach Ag! Avengers for the past year and is a Global Teach Ag Network Undergraduate Intern. Also while at Penn State, she has been a part of the Global Orientation to Agriculture Learning Program (GOALs) which provide pre-service agriculture educators with an opportunity to receive an international teaching experience. In addition, she took AEE 499 which was an embedded course that allowed her to travel to Belize for 10 days to learn about agricultural education. Her favorite class that she had taken at Penn State has been AEE 349 which is Shop Processes for Agricultural Educators. 

When asked about her passion or specific interest in agriculture Mckenzie says, "I would like to think that I truly have an interest in every agricultural content area. Admittingly, I am very passionate about all things plants, horticulture, and floriculture, however, I enjoy learning about all areas of the industry." She enjoys growing and propagating plants and dreams to run her own greenhouse someday.

Building Kestrel Boxes in AEE 349

Some other interesting things about Mckenzie are that she completed an internship as a Direct Support Professional for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Her favorite place to hangout on campus is in Ferguson building room 214. She enjoys going to Otto's in State College to eat. Mckenzie's hobbies include growing and propagating plants, reading books, and listening to true crime podcasts. Mckenzie also has a dog named Buddy who came to college with her.

In January Mckenzie will begin her student teaching experience at Biglerville High School with Mrs. Michelle Miller. She will be teaching Vet Science, Small Animal Science, Large Animal Science, Ag Science, and Ag Mechanics. In her time student teaching Mckenzie is most excited to work with students in Biglerville's new greenhouse.

Mckenzie's favorite quote:
"Find out who you are and do it on purpose." - Dolly Parton

Follow Mckenzie on Twitter and Instagram
Twitter: @MahlerMckenzie
Instagram: @mckenzie_mahler

Erica Teagarden

CPPD Student Worker

Agricultural and Extension Education

Class of 2026

Penn State Teach Ag Alum Leads Exemplary Program in PA

The Center for Professional Personnel Development and the Penn State Teach Ag team would like to highlight Carly Rippole for her work on leading an exemplary program in Pennsylvania with horticulture and greenhouse operations.

Carly is in her 8th year of teaching at Derry Area High School. She is a 2015 graduate of Penn State with a degree in Agricultural and Extension Education. She looks to create a program that would conduct a regional floral competitions. In this, teams of two would travel to Pittsburgh to work with industry partners. They would have one hour to design a theme. After, their design is reviewed by a panel. 

This program can help to provide a hands on experience for a diverse audience of students to engage in. Mainly, those who do not come from traditional agricultural backgrounds. It would help to relate to more suburban and urban populations. Also, this program would help students to form a meaningful connection to the Floriculture industry. This is a large industry in Pennsylvania that hold many opportunities for apprenticeships and work-based learning that students often are not aware of. 

It is expected that close to 20 students or 10 teams will be participating. The date for this pilot program is January 17, 2024.

Erica Teagarden

CPPD Student Worker

Agricultural and Extension Education

Class of 2026

Welcome Mia Sullivan to the CPPD and GTAN Team

 Penn State Teach Ag! would like to welcome Mia Sullivan as the newest Center for Professional Personnel Development team member. She is currently the Global Teach Ag Network Teacher-in-Residence and assists with PSU Teacher Education. 

Mia says, "Penn State was not on my radar until I participated in the GLAG19" which was put on by the Global Teach Ag Network. At the time she was a secondary agriculture teacher trying to better herself for her students. In 2021, Mia started thinking about pursuing her doctorate in agricultural education in hopes of teaching at the collegiate level. "I had already had 1.5 (COVID was weird) student teachers in my classroom and thoroughly enjoyed working with them. It inspired me to play a more active role in preparing the future of our profession". After a doctoral assistantship in Agricultural and Extension Education/ Education, Development, and Community Engagement was posted by Penn State. "And that would be the moment I put my hand on the doorknob to walk through the Penn State Ag Ed door. My BS (University of Kentucky) and MS (Tennessee State University) were both blue/white and had feline mascots so it just made sense to keep with that and become a Nittany Lion", Mia shared.

Before beginning her journey at Penn State, Mia taught agriculture in Tennessee for nine years. Throughout her teaching experience, she taught at four different schools, two of them being her high school and middle school alma mater. Mia attended Eagleton College & Career Academy in middle school and the current principal was her high school ag teacher. The middle school transitioned to a 6-12 grade program and her principal had planned to add agricultural education. Mia says, "He asked if I'd be interested in being the ag teacher and starting this brand new 8-12 program. This experience holds a special place in my heart because the community is the same one that raised me. The students there are the same students that I grew up with. It was such an honor to work with my principal and the supportive community in creating this amazing opportunity for these kids." 

In her role with GTAN (Global Teach Ag Network), she facilitates learning and develops a curriculum for the GTAN program for undergraduate students: GOALs. This is a virtual course that includes 18 students from Penn State, the University of Idaho, Kentucky State University, North Carolina A&T University, Tuskegee University, and the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore. She also assists Dr. Foster in the AEE 412 Methods of Teaching in Ag & Env. to prepare those eight students for their student teaching experience in the Spring. 

Mia has been a CASE Lead Teacher for three years and is certified in AFNR, ABF, ASA, ASP, NRE, and AgX. She did international travel as an undergrad in 2010 to Gisha, Scotland. This past summer she traveled to Uganda with the GTAN Teach Ag Uganda experience funded through the USDE Fulbright Hayes Program. Her plans are to continue with international travel and research and develop students to become future agriculture educators and professionals.  

In her free time, Mia loves working on restoring cast iron, canning and preserving food, and cheering for the Tennessee Volunteers Football Team on Saturday. She has been married for 11 years to her husband Joe and they have a Great Dane named Charlie Brown and eight chickens back in Tennessee. 

Connect with Mia

Email: mcs6395@psu.edu

LinkedIn

Erica Teagarden

CPPD Student Worker

Agricultural and Extension Education

Class of 2026

CPPD September Student of the Month- Brandon Bixler!

 AEE September Student of the Month

Each month the Center for Professional Personnel Development recognizes one Penn State Agricultural and Extension Education student for their outstanding efforts within the undergraduate program, extracurricular activities and community involvement. For the month of September, Brandon Bixler is being recognized as the Student of the Month. 

Currently, Brandon is a Senior studying Agricultural and Extension Education with a minor in International Agriculture. He is from East Earl, Pennsylvania and is a 2019 graduate of Garden Spot High School. During his time in high school, Brandon was a member of the Grassland FFA Chapter. From 2019 to 2020 Brandon served as the Pennsylvania FFA Vice-President and was the 2021 PA FFA National Officer Candidate. He said, "I owe much of my professional and personal growth to my time in FFA and those who influenced me on my journey!"

Brandon shared, "I chose Penn State because of the people and opportunities that make this university all that it is. I was profoundly impacted by agricultural educators who went through the AEE program, and this legacy of enduring impact alongside the vast professional network and opportunities for experiential learning made coming to PSU an easy decision". On campus, Brandon is involved in Ag Advocates, Teach Ag! Avengers, PSU FFA Alumni and Supporters, Collegiate Farm Bureau, Coaly Society, University Park Undergraduate Association Student Government (UPUA), and Presidential Leadership Academy (PLA). He has also been an AESE Student Consultant, INTAG 100N Teaching Assistant, and apart of the GOALS Program. He has also had internships with the Global Teach Ag Network, Corteva Agriscience, HOPE International, and NAAE Teach Ag Ambassador Program.

His agricultural passion stems from his interest in International Agriculture. Brandon stated, "I have a specific interest in international agricultural development and exploring how I can use my background in agricultural education to share agricultural knowledge and practices to support development efforts benefiting entrepreneurs and smallholder farmers. I enjoy connecting international agriculture concepts to each of the subjects I will teach in the classroom!" 

Brandon has had many travel opportunities that added to his experience with international agriculture as well. He shared, "During my time at Penn State, I have been fortunate to travel a fair amount including four new countries (Nepal, Dominican Republic, Canada, and Kenya). Whether doing undergraduate research or participating in an embedded course, I have grown so much through these opportunities to learn from others around the world".

Brandon's favorite class that he has taken was CED 497- Community Engagement with Pennsylvania Farmworkers. In this class he had the opportunity to work with Spanish-speaking farmworkers on a local dairy farm and gained experience teach English. He enjoys hanging out with his some of his favorite people in Ferguson 213. In State College, his favorite place to eat is Sower's Harvest Cafe. The Philadelphia Eagles and Penn State Nittany Lions are favorites of Brandon. His hobbies include spending quality time with his family and friends, time outdoors, hunting down new coffee spots, and playing games. An interesting thing about Brandon is that he has a 7-year-old Golden Retriever named Penny. 

In January, Brandon will begin his student teaching at Athens Area High School with Mr. Dave Steinfelt and Ms. Sarabeth Alderfer. He will be teaching SAE/FFA, Ag Mechanics 1, Ag Mechanics 2, Ag &
Natural Resources, Into to Ag, Animal Science, and Horticulture. He said, "I am most excited to teach a broad variety of courses and gain experience in new content like Ag Mechanics. I'm also excited to experience life and agricultural education in Northern PA - this will be new for me!" After graduating, Brandon plans to begin his career as an agricultural educator and seek opportunities to make a positive impact with his work. 

Brandon's favorite quote is:

 "The time is always right to do what is right." - Martin Luther King Jr.

Follow Brandon on Twitter and Instagram

Twitter: @BrandonBixler

Instagram: @brandon.bixler

Erica Teagarden

CPPD Student Worker

Agricultural and Extension Education

Class of 2026

Paige Rohrbach is AEE June Student of the Month

AEE June Student of the Month:
Paige Rohrbach

Each month the Center for Professional Personnel Development recognizes an AEE for their achievements. For the month of June, we would like to recognize Paige Rohrbach as Student of the Month. Throughout her time at Penn State, Paige has had many achievements both in academics and extracurriculars.  gggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg Paige is from Oley Valley, Pennsylvania and is a graduate of  Oley Valley High School. During her time in high school, Paige was a member of the Oley Valley FFA chapter. She is currently a senior in Agricultural and Extension Education and will graduate in the Spring of 2024. Her future plans are to return to the classroom to teach high school agriculture. She chose Penn State "because of vast opportunities and resources that they provide and connections that we make while in college".

During her time at Penn State, Paige has become very involved in many different clubs, jobs, and other activities. She is currently a student worker for the Center for Professional Personnel Development. She also serves as an Ag Recruitment Intern, Ag Advocate, Teach Ag! Avenger, and is a member of the Coaly Society. She has also completed an internship over the summer for Montgomery county 4-H. A defining moment for Paige during her college career was when she got the opportunity to teach in a high school classroom in Glenwood, Minnesota with Mrs. Tiffany Kobberman during Spring Break of 2023. 

Paige's favorite class at Penn State was AEE 349 with Dr. Ewing. Room 213 in the Ferguson building is Paige's favorite place to hangout on campus. Her favorite place to eat in State College is Moe's. She is a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Her hobbies include hunting and hanging out with family. One interesting thing about Paige is that she has been alligator hunting in Florida. 

Her agriculture interest is Environmental and Wildlife. In the Spring she will be student teaching at Cedar Crest High School with Mr. Philip Haussener and Ms. Claudia Brady. She will be teaching a wide array of classes. She is most excited to grow as a teacher and become more confident while teaching lessons. She is really looking forward to growing her knowledge of mechanics. 

Her favorite quote is:

 "An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward. So when life is dragging you back with difficulties, it means that it's going to launch you into something great. So just focus, and keep aiming." -Paulo Coelho

Follow Paige on Twitter and Instagram

Twitter: @prohrbach02 

Instagram: @paigerohrbach02

Erica Teagarden

CPPD Student Worker

Agricultural and Extension Education

Class of 2026

Baylor Shunk is AEE May Student of the Month

AEE May Student of the Month: 
Baylor Shunk

Each month the Center for Professional Personnel Development recognizes an AEE for their achievements. For the month of May, we would like to recognize Baylor Shunk as Student of the Month. Throughout his time at Penn State, Baylor has had many achievements both in academics and extracurriculars. 

Baylor is from Centre Hall, Pennsylvania and is a graduate of Penns Valley High School. During his time in high school, Baylor was a member of the Penns Valley FFA chapter and apart of the Penns Valley Rams Wrestling team.

Baylor will graduate in 2024 with a Bachelors Degree in Agricultural and Extension Education and is currently apart of the Penn State wrestling team. His future plans are to teach in a school-based agriculture education program in Pennsylvania, coach high school wrestling, and settle down and raise a family. 

When asked why he chose Penn State Baylor said, "I chose Penn State because I knew that the Ag Ed program was superior, and then when the wrestling program reached out, that solidified my decision in continuing my academics and athletics here in State College". His favorite class at Penn State is AEE 311 with Dr. Curry. On campus, he is apart of the Penn State wrestling team and has been since starting college. Baylor says that his favorite hang-out spot on campus is the Lorenzo Wrestling Complex.

His hobbies include wrestling, farming, hunting, and trying to play guitar which he is currently teaching himself to do. Jersey Mike's is Baylor's favorite place to eat in State College. His favorite sports team is the Pittsburgh Steelers. HIs agricultural interests includes ag mechanics and farming practices

Baylor is completing his student teaching internship at Central Columbia High School with Mr. Doug Brown. He is teaching Ag Science 1, 2, 3, and 4. He teaches units with in Small Gas Engines, Food Science, Electrical Wiring, Welding, Animal Welfare, Pollinators, Woodworking, ATV Safety, FFA, Safe Tractor Driving, and Machinery Operation. He also teaching Environmental Science and Forest and Wildlife Science. During his student teaching experience, Baylor says that he is most excited for coaching his students for CDEs and LDEs. "I love coaching, so getting to coach some CDE/LDE teams and individuals during my student teaching is something that I love and enjoy".

His favorite quote is:

 "Life is far too important of a thing to ever talk serious about"- Raymond Reddington

Follow Baylor on Twitter and Instagram

Twitter: @ShunkBaylor 

Instagram: @shunk_psu

Erica Teagarden

CPPD Student Worker

Agricultural and Extension Education

Class of 2026

Ambar Robalino is AEE April Student of the Month

AEE April Student of the Month: 

Ambar Robalino

The Center for Professional Personnel Development would like to recognize Ambar Robalino as the April AEE Student of the Month. Ambar demonstrates excellent academic and extracurricular involvement and dedication. Ambar is from Jamaica, Queens, New York and graduated from John Bowe High School where she was involved in the John Bowe FFA chapter for four years. In her high school FFA chapter, she held the officer positions of Student Advisor and Sentinel. She also held the position of District 1 President. 

Ambar is currently pursuing a bachelors degree in Agricultural and Extension Education and began her college career at the Beaver Campus. " I was in high school during college visits, and none of the New York colleges wowed me the way Penn State did. Not only did they care about academics but also the well-being of their students." She enjoys the support system of the Penn State community and the feeling of having a home away from home. Also, she loves the school spirit that everyone has at Penn State. "I feel proud driving with my bumper sticker and seeing other Nittany Lions on the road no matter where I am."

Ambar's favorite class was AEE 311 with Dr. Curry. She enjoys hanging out on the lawns on campus and feeding the squirrels when she can. Her favorite place to eat in State College is Tadashi Ramen noodle restaurant. Ambar's hobbies include drawing, listening to music, video editing, fish keeping, herping, birdwatching, hiking, and traveling. Her favorite sports team is the Ecuador National Football team. 

She has completed and internship with the Global Orientation to Agriculture program and had the opportunity to travel to Des Moines, Iowa for the World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogues. She also got to experience a teaching immersion to Tennessee and got to visit the Smokey Mountains.

Her agricultural interest has come from the cognitive abilities of animals, specifically regarding language and communication. She also has an interest in Aquaculture, Herpetology, exotic animals, Entomology, and Wildlife.

Currently, Ambar is completing her student teaching experience at Brockway Jr/Sr Area High School. She is teaching Intro to Welding, Horticulture, Animal Science, Small Gas Engines, Wildlife, and Intro to Agriculture. She is excited for her Wildlife students to get the hands on experience with reptiles. The students will get this experience from the help of a local educational reptile outreach business. Her goal is to get her students more comfortable with handling reptiles. Her future plans are to travel the United States before looking into a career.

Ambar's favorite quote is:

"If you tremble with indignation at every injustice, then you are a comrade of mine. “ -Che Guevara 

Erica Teagarden

CPPD Student Worker

Agricultural and Extension Education

Class of 2026

Nicolette Cusate's 2023 NAAE IDEAP FAST Experience

Nicolette Cusate's 2023 NAAE IDEAP FAST Experience

Nicolette Cusate, Agricultural and Extension Education senior currently student teaching at Northwestern Senior High School, was granted the opportunity to attend the 2023 NAEE FAST - Creating an Inclusive, Diverse, Equitable, and Accessible Progam. Nicolette, along with 19 other pre-service agricultural educators were chosen to travel to Lexington, Kentucky for this experience from March 1st to the 3rd. 

During her time in Kentucky, she had the opportunity to tour the Kentucky School for the Deaf and meet some of the students as well as the advisor. Nicollete says, "It was so inspiring to see the students that go there and hear their stories and how FFA and ag ed has impacted their lives." While at the school the students taught Nicolette and the others how to sign the alphabet. They communicated with students through interpreters. "I wish everyone in our cohort could go there and see their program, it is truly one of a kind and super impactful to experience in person."

She was also able to tour Carter G. Woodson Academy which has an FFA program of 96% African American male scholars who are admitted by a lottery system. This FFA chapter is also integrated with a Jr. MANRRS chapter through the University of Kentucky. Unfortunately due to a tornado warning Nicolette was not able to visit the school but did have a chance to meet their advisor in person and scholars on zoom. "We asked them questions about what it is like to be a minority in FFA and about their motivations to join and stay in the organization. They stayed
positive and were so kind to us, even though the day did not end up going as planned."

These are some highlights from Nicolette's trip so be sure to look at her blog for some more details about her experience.

Erica Teagarden

CPPD Student Worker

Agricultural and Extension Education

Class of 2026

Jacob Turko is AEE March Student Of The Month

 AEE March Student Of The Month: 
Jacob Turko

    For the month of March, the Center For Professional Personal Development would like to acknowledge Jacob Turko as a student who demonstrates excellent educational and extracurricular involvement and excellence. Jacob graduated high school from Kempton, PA, Kutztown Senior High School. He will be graduating from Pennsylvania State University in May 2023 with a Bachelor's in Agriculture and Extension Education and Minors in Sustainability Leadership and International Agriculture. His future plans are to attend the University of Kentucky for a Master's in Community and Leadership Development and his research will focus on the recruitment and retention of minorities in agriculture. 

    Jacob chose to attend Penn State for his undergrad because he thought it was the best fit for him to grow in agriculture education while gaining the most current agricultural-based knowledge. His favorite class here at Penn State was ASM 327 which is Agricultural System Management: Soil and Water Resource Management. The clubs that he was involved in were: MANRRS, and PSU FFA Alumni and Supporters Chapter. The jobs he had here were with the Poultry Education and Research Center and Millbrook Marsh Nature Center. For internships, Jacob did Tick Research at the International Livestock Research Institute in Kenya, and another internship at Wildlife Conservation in Belize. 

    

    When we asked what Jacobs most valued experience was he responded: "I am proud to be a role model for other minority students in agriculture within my school and to encourage and uplift them into the career field the best I can".

    Jacobs' favorite sports team is the Philadelphia Eagles. He enjoys hanging out on the third floor of the library here at Penn State. His favorite place to eat at State College is Yallah Taco. Jacob's hobbies include painting, gaming, and reading. 

    When it comes to FFA background, Jacob comes from Kutztown FFA. His agricultural interest/passion is education, horticulture, and natural resource management. When asked one interesting thing about himself he responded "I am going to be the first person in my family to graduate from college!"

    Jacob is currently student teaching at WB Saul Agricultural High School. The two classes that he is leading instruction in are Natural Resource Management and Veterinary Technology II. 

Jacob's favorite quote is:

"Start where you are, with what you have. Make something of it and never be satisfied." 

- George Washington Carver

Make sure to follow Jacob on Twitter: 
@TurkoJacob

Sara Lichty

CPPD Student Worker

Agricultural Sciences

Class of 2023