Jenna Kibbe is Selected as the Agricultural & Extension Education September's Student of the Month

 Although a little late, WE ARE proud to recognize the Agricultural and Extension Education Student of the Month for September. This month's recipient is Jenna Kibbe of Findley Lake, New York. Jenna spent time serving the New York FFA Association as the 2017-2018 New York FFA State Treasurer. Jenna attended Penn State Behrend in Erie for a year and enjoyed her time there before coming to University Park as a sophomore. Currently, Jenna is a junior majoring in Agricultural and Extension Education with minors in Spanish and International Agriculture.

So far, Jenna's favorite classes at Penn State have been Horticulture 150N, Plant 220, and Ballroom Dancing! Her involvement with clubs includes LEAD Society where she serves on the officer team, and she is also involved in the Spanish Emersion Club and Salt Company. She loves to represent Penn State and has the Minnesota Vikings as one of her favorite sports team. You can find Jenna hanging out on campus at the Arboretum, Millennium Science Complex or at Old Main. Some of her favorite places to eat in State College are Sower Harvest Café and Big Bowl Noodle House.

If you know Jenna, you know her love for her dog, Ruger a German Shepard. Speaking of cool facts about Jenna, she has also gone hunting in 3 states and deep sea fished in the Atlantic Ocean. Her favorite quote is "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7. Jenna has greatly impressed us with her efforts both inside and outside the classroom to create more opportunities for students in the Agricultural and Extension Education major.

A program that Jenna has been working to organize alongside Nicole Guise through the Teach Ag Avengers at Penn State, is the Penn State Owl Pal Program. The goals of this program are to:

1. To connect AEE Commonwealth Campus students to AEE University Park students, faculty, and staff
2. To decrease the stresses associated with transitioning campuses
1. To provide a unique student perspective of the AEE major

The purpose of the Owl Pal Program is to help the transition from a branch campus of Penn State to University Park less difficult for students. As Jenna was in these student's places she shares "Being a transfer student who found the adjustment difficult,  there was simple knowledge about State College that I wish I would have known, so Nicole and I worked together this summer to develop the list of topics that we felt would help students not only adjust to college and academics, but also life in State College." If you or someone you know is a AEE major at Penn State or planning to become one you can reach out to Jenna Kibbe at jok5448@psu.edu. so that she can add your name to the list! This program starts the first year you arrive at any Penn State campus and will last through when you come to University Park to help get students adjusted to campus life.

We believe this program will serve students well as it provides more connections for students directly to the major through helping them find personal connections and lasting relationships as they go throughout their Penn State journey's. We appreciate all of the work Jenna has put into organizing this program and we can't wait to see the positive outcomes! Be sure to keep up with Jenna by following her on Instagram @jennakibbe and on Twitter @JennaKibbe

 

Morgan Bear

CPPD Student Worker

Agricultural & Extension Education

Class of 2023

Congratulations Halee Wasson (@wasson_halee): #psuaged18 member Hired!

Congratulations Ms. Halee Wasson #psuaged18 cohort member and 2018 graduate of The Pennsylvania State University! She was recently hired at Southern Cayuga High School in Aurora, New York.

Halee is from State College, Pa and while she attended Penn State she was involved in many organizations including Penn Stay Ag Student Council, Penn State Teach Ag! Society, Penn State Collegiate FFA, Penn State Dairy Science Club, Coaly Society, Alpha Tau Alpha, and Delta Theta Sigma Fraternity.

When Halee student taught at Derry Area High School this past spring she had taught a community based unit of instruction which lead to students being asked to draw out blueprints for the Derry Township Fair Sheep and Wool Superintendent. They were then shared with community partners and the to top designs were chosen. She stated, "Overall this experience created opportunity for me to instruct students in the Ag Construction course to apply their knowledge and skills, which they acquired in the classroom, to solve a real-life issue." 

Halee's new position at Southern Cayuga High School, she will be the sole teacher there. One thing that is unique about the school district she was hired at is their community. Halee expressed, "I do not think I could have asked for a more supportive and welcoming community. This community has truly welcomed me with open arms, and has shared an immense amount of support for my passion of teaching agriculture. I am excited to see how all the strengths of each individual and organization can contribute to the program in the future." The Southern Cayuga had an agriculture education and a FFA Chapter by 1965. She will be teaching Natural Resources and Ecology, Agriculture Mathematics, Agriculture Business, Animal Science, and Greenhouse Production. She looks forward to her new experience as she says, "Although State College, Pennsylvania will always be home, I am eager to experience life in Aurora, New York.  The community’s roots are firmly established in agriculture, which provides numerous program resources. I am excited to explore these resources to expand and create opportunity for my students."

One piece of advice she had for students looking to go into agriculture education is, "If you are passionate about purposefully contributing to the future of agriculture through today's youth, then you need to become an agriculture educator! Passion is the true driving force of perseverance that creates grit. With grit you will conquer all challenges that you may face, while creating positive and successful outcomes." 

Congratulations Ms. Halee Wasson, we are excited to see how you shape your classroom and inspire students for generations to come!

Luke Kerstetter

Communications Team Member

Twitter Handle: @lmkerstetter96

2020 Agriculture Education Student Teacher