Sarah Beaver is June AEE Student of the Month

 AEE June Student of the Month

The Center for Professional Personnel Development would like to recognize Sarah Beaver as the June Student of the Month for her outstanding efforts in her academics and extracurriculars. Sarah is majoring in Agricultural and Extension Education with a minor in International Agriculture and will graduate in May of 2027. She chose Penn State because, "Penn State felt like home the first time I visited. It was always my dream school but I never thought I would get into University Park but with a lot of hard work and dedication here I am! Once I knew that I wanted to do AG education I knew Penn State was where I wanted to go." 

Sarah is a 2023 graduate of Otto-Eldred High School where she was involved in the Otto-Eldred FFA Chapter which is the only Chapter in McKean County. During her time in FFA she served as Vice President and President. From being an officer, she learned, "skills like communication, outreach, and perseverance. During my time, I attended local and area events, state conferences, and conventions, building leadership skills and networking. I also worked on various Supervised Agricultural Experience projects ranging from placement to exploratory. By my senior year, I was able to earn my State Keystone Degree at the Pennsylvania Farm Show. I am very grateful for my time in PA FFA and look forward to continuing to be a part of it in the future." 

On campus, Sarah is involved in the University Park Undergraduate Association as the College of Agricultural Science Representative. She also is a Student Senator in the College of Agricultural Sciences Faculty Senate. Additional she is an Ag Student Council Executive Team member, an Ag Advocate, and a part of the Global Orientation in Agricultural Learning Program Cohort 3. She also holds a position as an intern for the Global Teach AG Network. Her favorite class on campus is INTAG 100N. Sarah enjoys hanging out in the Ferguson Building and going to SNAP Pizza with her friends. Her hobbies include being outside
and spending time with her friends and family. Sarah's favorite sports team is the Bills. An interesting fact about Sarah is that she is related to James A. Beaver, the guy that Beaver Stadium is named after.

Sarah had the opportunity to be involved in the Global Orientation in Agricultural Learning (GOALs) program this past year. She traveled to the World Food Prize in the fall, learned about different aspects of global agriculture, and got to teach on this subject for a week in the spring. Sarah says, "I was fortunate enough to be a part of the GOALs program this year. This program was the highlight of my first year here at PSU. I learned so much, met many amazing people, and experienced things that have transformed my understanding of agricultural education. I am so thankful for the opportunities this program has provided me."

Her agricultural interest and passion surround that of agricultural education, global agriculture issues, food security, and agricultural policy. In the future, she hopes to use her degree from Penn State to become a high school agricultural science teacher and impart her knowledge on students. 

Sarah's favorite quote:
"Keep planting and sowing, living and knowing: Beautiful things take time, and that is okay."
- Morgan Harper Nichols

Follow Sarah on Social Media
@sa.r.ah_beaver

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

Morgan Bear: NAAE Upper Division Scholarship Recipient

NAAE Upper Division Scholarship Awarded to 

Morgan Bear 

The Center for Professional Personnel Development would like to recognize Morgan Bear as the NAAE Upper Division Scholarship recipient. Morgan Bear is a senior in Agricultural and Extension Education with minors in Sustainability Leadership and Leadership Development. She is set to graduate in May 2023. Morgan's hometown is  Newville, PA. She graduated from Big Spring High School.

      During her time here at Penn State, Morgan is involved in the Penn State Livestock Judging Team. In this club, they travel across the country competing in intercollegiate contests on state and

      national levels including NAILE, KILE, All-East, and the World Beef Expo. Some of Morgan's highlights in this club were in the All-East Livestock Judging Contest 2022 where she placed First High Overall individual in Market Evaluation.

      She is also a part of the College of Agricultural Sciences Ag Advocate, AESE Advising Advocate, Teach Ag Avenger,  CPPD Student Worker, Block and Bridle Club, where she is Ag Student Council Representative, and in PSU FFA Alumni and Supporters Club

Morgan's future plan after attending college is to enter the classroom directly in a high school

setting as an Agricultural Educator.  She would like to stay in Pennsylvania and start her teaching

career!

When asked why she applied for this scholarship, Morgan replied: "It is a great opportunity, sought

out a great opportunity to be nationally recognized in an organization that is known across the

profession of agricultural education. It will also help cover the cost of student teaching, as you have

to be placed for student teaching in order to receive the scholarship."

 

We asked morgan how she found out about this scholarship, and she said "I found out through being

an NAAE member and receiving emails from NAAE about it, and from the professors in the

department encouraging me to apply."

The application process included: Submitting a teaching philosophy on “Why I want to Teach

Agriculture”, a description of leadership and service activities, and submitting an official transcript.

Morgan then waited until they announced the winners for each region across the U.S. and she was the only one chosen from Region VI!

We then asked "What do you plan to use the scholarship for/towards?" and she responded:

"I would use it to help cover the costs associated with student teaching (aka traveling to the school every day and help support any other materials or supplies for instruction)." 

"Receiving this scholarship has allowed me to connect more with an organization I feel is very

important to my future profession as an agricultural educator. The support that NAAE provides

future teachers is unmatched. I am really excited to see what other opportunities are ahead for me in

the professional organization as I start my teaching career!"

Sara Lichty

CPPD Student Worker

Agricultural Science

Class of 2023

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

We Welcome Graduate Student Kendra Flood into the Penn State Teach Ag! Family

 This year the Penn State Teach Ag! Family has had the pleasure of receiving a new graduate student in Agricultural and Extension Education. With just a semester at Penn State under her belt, Kendra Flood has already proven to be a talented addition to Pennsylvania Agricultural and Extension Education.

Growing up in Montrose, Illinois, Kendra attended Cumberland High School. Her love for Agricultural Education began on her family's farm where they raised show pigs, goats, chickens, and rabbits. She was active in 4-H through leadership positions at the local and county level, state committees, and a variety of projects. Additionally, she was active in FFA serving at the state, district, and local levels in leadership positions. Her SAEs were in Agricultural Communications and Swine Production as well as  working for Grissom's Lost Creek Orchard. 

Kendra earned her Bachelor's Degree in Agricultural Systems and Education with a specialization in Agricultural Education and a minor in Crops, Soil, and Environmental Management from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. When asked about why she chose to pursue Agricultural Education, Kendra explained, "I am passionate about teaching agriculture, because agriculture is something that is all around us, but we are not always aware of it. I think it is important to teach students to become educated consumers and, possibly, agriculturists". As an undergraduate, Kendra was involved in the Agricultural Education Club, Collegiate FFA, College of Agricultural Science Student Council, Alpha Tau Alpha, and other agricultural organizations. She has also completed an internship with The Equity, an agricultural co-op, during two summer breaks. Outside of her academic career, Kendra can always be found on a hike with her Border Collie sidekick, Milo.

Determined to further her education, Kendra decided to pursue her Master's at Penn State. She said, "No other program had such an individualized approach as Penn State. Here, I am able to pursue research areas I am interested in as well as work with other faculty in their areas of interest. Also, the mountains provide a very nice view". As a Graduate Student in Agricultural and Extension Education, Kendra is able to engage not only in research, but teaching experiences that will strengthen her presence in the classroom and relationships that will encourage her to pursue her passions. Additionally, she has opportunities for professional development. Recently, Kendra, along with Dr. Kevin Curry and Dr. Kathleen Sexsmith, have been recognized for their work on the paper, "Gender Stereotypes of Suits and Boots: Student Perceptions of Gender in School-Based Agricultural Education and Careers" and have received the NC-AAAE Distinguished Manuscript Award, filling Agricultural and Extension Education faculty and students with pride. 

After completing her Master's with Penn State, Kendra hopes to gain a few years of experience teaching at the high school level and then earn her Ph. D. in either policy or education. In the future she hopes to someday create policy for the agricultural industry and Agricultural Education. Until then however, we are excited to witness Kendra's growth during her time at Penn State. Her advice to students interested in pursuing a degree in Agricultural Education would be, "Find a program and faculty member who lets you be the driver of your program. Dr. Kevin Curry always reminds me of how important it is to pursue things I care about as I will be writing about that subject for a while. So, it is important to find a program that will let you explore those areas you are interested in". 

WE ARE excited to welcome such an intelligent and driven young Agricultural Educator into our Penn State Teach Ag! family. Kendra, congratulations on all of your accomplishments so far. We cannot wait to see what else you do on your journey here at Penn State and what you do for all of Agricultural Education in the future. 

Taylor Halbleib

CPPD Student Worker

Agricultural and Extension Education

Class of 2022

Kayla Stauffer is Tagged to Teach Ag! at Mount Union Area High School

Recent Penn State Agricultural & Extension Education graduate Kayla Stauffer has been hired at Mount Union Area High School in Mount Union, PA. Kayla is originally from Lancaster, PA and she graduated from Lampeter-Strasburg High School where she was actively involved in the Garden Spot FFA Chapter. She did not have her career goal set out to be an Agriculture Educator. Kayla says "I always thought that I was going to be a veterinarian, I love animals and love taking care of them. I enrolled in the Veterinary Science course at my high school and fell in love with not only veterinary medicine but the National FFA organization and all aspects of agriculture. I continued to take agriculture courses all four years of high school." Through being a part of the Agriculture Education program at Lampeter-Strasburg is where Kayla was able to learn more about her passion for agriculture and try new activities. The National Teach Ag! Essay Contest was brought to her attention and she decided to try her hand at teaching an agriculture class. She states "After teaching one period of Veterinary Science in 11th grade, I knew that I wanted to teach and knew that I specifically wanted to Teach Ag!"

After graduating high school Kayla attended the Pennsylvania State University Altoona Campus. Here she got involved in the Penn State Altoona Ag Club and Altoona Cheer-leading. At the University Park Campus Kayla became involved in the Club Cheer-leading Squad and served as a Penn State Teach Ag! Avenger. During her student teaching period she branched out and decided to travel to Boonsboro, Maryland where Kayla taught under Mrs. Quinn Cashell-Martin. She gained experience teaching Introduction to Agriculture, Power Mechanics 1 & 2, Greenhouse Management, Floral Design, and a Forestry and Soils course. 

Kayla is now eager to start her journey at Mount Union Area High School. She will be a part of a new three-teacher program. Her class schedule consists of courses including Introduction to Wood Products and Technology, Advanced Wood shop/Cabinetry, Small Gas Engines, and Agriculture Mechanics. When asking Kayla about some of her classroom goals she said "I have numerous goals that I would like to achieve throughout the next several years, but the main goal that I want to achieve is creating an incredible relationship with the special education department and finding ways to include those students in the FFA program and our agriculture courses." In addition, Kayla is excited to be teaching Agriculture Mechanics courses because she did not take any shop classes throughout her high school career, but overtime gaining more experience in the shop she has fallen in love with the content through the courses at Penn State and her student teaching experience. Kayla expresses one thing she is excited for which is to challenge herself with learning more wood working content and coming up with innovative ways to work with the other teachers by combining all of the course content and assisting each another. When asked one piece of advice she had for Ag Ed majors Kayla said "Be yourself. Don’t worry about what the rest of your cohort or the graduates before you have done or are doing, bring your own personality into the classroom and into the educator that you want to become."

The Center for Professional Personnel Development is excited to see what great learning experiences Kayla will offer to her students. Congratulations again on being hired at Mount Union Area High School, you will positively impact the Agriculture Education Program and its students. Best of luck Kayla!

Morgan Bear

CPPD Student Worker

Agricultural & Extension Education

Class of 2023

2K18 NAAE Convention Highlights

In November the Pennsylvania Association of Agricultural Educators (PAAE) had several members receive awards at the 70th National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) Convention in San Antonio, TX as well as other members from the organization attend to aid in directing the national association for the next year. 

The members of PAAE had also participated in professional development focusing on agriculture, sessions on building partnerships between agricultural educators, agribusiness leaders, and policy makers. Our award winners from PAAE were Meagan Slates receiving the Outstanding Early Career Educator Award and Janae McMichael receiving the National Teacher Turn the Key Award. 

Meagan Slates gets her drive by student success in and outside the classroom. She utilized technology and experiential based learning to make her daily instruction interactive. Along with experience based learning, Meagan makes her courses engaging, rigorous, and model job expectations. Meagan currently serves on the Policy Committee for both NAAE and PAAE, and has attended the National Policy Seminar in Washington D.C. to advocate for career and technical education. 

Janae McMichael is a strong supporter of the three-circle model for Agricultural Education, she actively searches for ways to incorporate the three components in a way to create contextual, inquiry-based, and engaging learning experiences for her students. Janae is devoted to be a lifelong learner and does her best to seek out opportunities to grow as an educator, advisor, team member, and industry representative.

Penn State University also had members from #PSUAgEd19 cohort at the convention to experience professional development at the national level as well as network with future colleagues. Three Penn State students received the Upper Division Scholarship from the NAAE, Victoria Herr, Ryan Rupert, and Lisa Boltz. Penn State University was also named Region VI Outstanding Postsecondary Agriculture Program. The faculty at Penn State, Dr. Daniel Foster, Dr. John Ewing, and Dr. Kevin Curry, provide their students with current methods and how to effectively use them. The curriculum utilizes eight core courses to prepare teacher candidates for their future career.

Congratulations to all award recipients, and we hope that the convention provided you with many new and innovative ways to lead your classroom and exceed expectations.

Luke Kerstetter

Communications Team Member

Twitter Handle: Luke_Kerstetter

Agricultural Education Student Teacher 2020

Welcome @PAFFA Vice President Thomas Gabel (@gabel_thomas) to @TeachAgPSU

Newly elected #PAFFA Vice President, Thomas Gabel, will be joining our @TeachAgPSU

Thomas Gabel, State FFA
Vice President

family this fall!  Thomas will be an incoming freshman to Penn State majoring in Agriculture and Extension Education. Thomas’s interest in the agriculture industry started at a young age as he grew up working and learning on his family’s dairy farm.  He was heavily involved with 4-H as a youth which was mirrored later in his years in the Newport FFA.  His favorite Leadership Development Event was Parliamentary Procedure and his Supervised Agricultural Experience was on farm employment at his home dairy farm in Perry County.  Thomas quickly became intrigued by the countless opportunities and career options within the industry.   This is when his passion for teaching began.  He was able to watch his teacher, Mrs. Natalie Barkely, impart knowledge and wisdom onto students daily. When asked what made you decide to become an Ag teacher, Thomas replied “I was inspired by my teacher, Mrs. Barkley, to pursue teaching so that I could have a positive impact on the next generation of students, and be an advocate for agriculture.”

Thomas is excited and anxious to see what his year of service to our state’s FFA organization has in stake for him.  He has a year’s worth of classroom visits, leadership conferences, and public 

The 2017-2018 Pennsylvania
State Officer Team

speaking engagements yet to come.  I asked Thomas how he thought the skills he is going to gain and sharpen over the next twelve months of being a state officer is going to help him going into Ag Ed, he said “I believe I will gain a better understanding of the agriculture industry, learn valuable teaching and facilitation skills, gain confidence, build connections, and gain experience with teaching and interacting with high school students.”

I actually got to spend some time with Thomas and the rest of the new state officer team, recently at the Pennsylvania Association of Agriculture Educators (@PAAE) conference in Philadelphia.  When I got to sit down and talk with him, he voiced why he thinks Ag Ed is so important.  “Agricultural Education is crucial in the fight against world hunger and in the goal of educating the world.  There are many misconceptions across the globe about the agriculture industry and agricultural education classes provides a platform to better educate people about the industry.  These lessons and knowledge can be applied to many different fields, including those dealing with production agriculture and in result, help feed the world.”  He is a very energetic and enthusiastic young man who is devoted to expressing the importance of the agriculture industry.  I think that he is going to make a great teacher some day and indeed with inspire a few students just as he was by his own teacher. 

In his last remarks, I asked Thomas what he would say to someone who was thinking about being an Ag teacher.  He told me “I would tell them that being an Agricultural Educator is one of the most important jobs in the world.   People in this profession have the unique opportunity to advocate for an entire industry and help students find their future careers and passions.  It is, without a doubt, a career path worth pursuing.”  We wish Thomas and the rest of the Pennsylvania FFA State Officers luck on the year ahead and each of their journeys.  Welcome to the PSU Ag Ed family Thomas!

Thomas has officially been
Tagged to Teach Ag! 

Macy Fisher, Student Blogger
Twitter Handle: @macy_fisher
#psuaged18 member
2018 Selinsgrove Student Teacher