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

Student Spotlight: Killiann George receives PA Landscape and Nursery Association Foundation Scholarship

Killiann George of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, was named a Pennsylvania Landscape and Nursery Association Foundation Scholarship recipient. The PLNA Foundation Scholarship Program was established to assist students pursuing degrees in horticulture-oriented fields. To enhance the relationship between students and the landscape and nursery industry, the PLNA Foundation recognizes the effort of outstanding students in each of Pennsylvania's colleges and universities, including the Pennsylvania State University, offering horticulture nursery production, landscape contracting, or a strongly related field. Each recipient receives a certificate and cash award to be applied to tuition, books, or educational supplies. 

Killiann is majoring in Agricultural and Extension Education at Penn State, University Park, and pursuing two minors in International Agriculture and Political Science. Her future career plans include becoming a formal Agricultural Educator or starting a career in writing and advocating for agricultural legislative policy. One day she hopes to write an agricultural-related curriculum impacting future generations of agricultural leaders. While in college, Killiann has also been involved in LEAD Society, and Collegiate Farm Bureau.

One day Killiann was scrolling through social media when she found this scholarship opportunity which sparked her interest in applying for the scholarship. She shared"This scholarship aligned with my educational and professional goals so it felt like a perfect opportunity to pursue." She spent time filling out an application, writing an essay about her future goals and her current classes, in addition to creating a resume, and a Faculty Advisor Form. She expressed her gratitude for receiving this scholarship by saying "Horticulture is a HUGE section of the agricultural industry and having folks who support the next generation is super important. I am super grateful to the association for their support and hope to be able to encourage future students to take part in this thriving sector of agriculture."

WE ARE so proud of you, Killiann! If you or someone you know is interested in more scholarship opportunities, be sure to stay tuned in to the Weekly TeachAg! Email Blasts with news and updates, as well as the College of Agricultural Sciences website, and Office of Student Aid.

Morgan Bear

CPPD Student Worker

Agricultural and Extension Education

Class of 2023

Penn State Ag Alumni Society Internship Award's Benefit Penn State Agricultural Education Students

The Center for Professional Personnel Development would like to recognize students in the Agricultural and Extension Education major that were awarded Penn State Agricultural Alumni Society Internship Awards. These students have all completed internships related to agriculture which helped them to gain different experiences across the field. The students who received this award were Mary Wurzbach of the 2020 cohort, Justin Kurtz, Nathan Moyer, and Jenna Kibbe of the 2022 cohort.

The Ag Alumni Society at Penn State has many benefits for undergraduate students. "The Internship award, established in 1986, is a competitive awards program designed to encourage undergraduate students to participate in internships. The Society recognizes the importance of planned on-the-job learning experience to adequately prepare students for today's competitive job market. The Ag Alumni Society has distributed over $201,000 in internship awards benefiting 300 students." This past fall, we were grateful to have had four Agricultural and Extension Education students receive these awards to help pay off their college tuition costs and more.

Mary Wurzbach completed her internship at Oley Valley High School in Oley, Pennsylvania where she student taught under Mr. Jeremy Deysher and Mrs. Kacey Rice at their formal agricultural education program. Mary shared "The internship award seemed like the perfect way to share my experiences from student teaching to Penn State College of Agriculture alumni." While at Oley Valley Mary taught students in grades 8-12 in a variety of agricultural related topics while interacting with over 150 students over 15 weeks. While student teaching during a global pandemic, the philosophy Mary created kept her motivated during a difficult time. "After my student teaching experience, my philosophy of teaching has expanded to include a work-life balance and being sure to use different resources." After wrapping up her student teaching experience, Mary decided to work at Kreider Farms as an Assistant Processing Manager at their Middletown egg facility. 

Justin Kurtz was another recipient of the Ag Alumni Award as he completed his internship with Shaver's Creek Environmental Center. During his internship he worked with the guidance from Mr. Brian Sedgewick and Mr. Chris Diehl on the grounds and facilities team. Justin shared a few details about his experience. "My duties included tasks such as cleaning restrooms, landscaping, and trail maintenance. There was never a day where I went home regretting my decision to partake in the experience." Learning is a common part of any internship, and Justin highlighted that his internship taught him that professional relationships matter in making connections for future endeavors. Being a well-rounded educator is something Justin is working on building throughout his time at Penn State and Shaver's Creek has taught him this through what he highlighted as "our best learning happens in our natural environment which I strive to create for students, the same way the Environmental Center has done for me."

Nathan Moyer our third recipient, spent time interning at Ashburn's Animals, a non-profit animal rescue located in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania.  Ashburn's is home to more than 100 animals, including horses, sheep, snakes, birds, and much more. Due to Covid-19 Nathan's experiences looked different at his internship as he shares, "Normally, I would have been lesson-planning and facilitating a week-long farm camp experience opened for youth aged 6-12. Instead, most of my summer was spent re-designing the website, managing the website, engaging online audiences through social media, creating digital and graphic content to highlight the animals at the rescue, and promoting the rescue through guided tours of the facilities." Nathan made the most of his time spent at Ashburn's Animals and learned a few things along the way including developing his skills in graphic design and photography including programs like Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, Spark, and Illustrator, as well as the Facebook, Instagram, and Wix website builder. Nathan stated "With technology continuing to change, it's important that educators adapt to those changes to engage with their students (no matter how old they may be) on a relatable level."

Although the Covid-19 pandemic interrupted many plans, one thing still remained; nearly 15,000 new Penn State students from across the globe still had to be welcomed into the family. Jenna Kibbe, who received the award completed an internship this summer which allowed her to serve as a New Student Orientation Leader for Penn State’s Student Orientation and Transition Programs. Over the course of the spring and summer, she transformed the orientation program to be completely virtual while still allowing new Penn State students to build connections and prepare for their journey ahead. Jenna shares, "I was able to fine tune many of my communication and leadership skills by facilitating workshops about academics, Penn State resources, and ways to make the most out of their college careers. From learning about how to be more inclusive to everyone, to effectively communicating a message and being able to be flexible in any situation, it is safe to say that many of these skills will be very beneficial in my future."  As Jenna pursues a career as an Agriculture Educator, she will surely take all of the lessons learned from this summer experience and apply them in her future classroom.

 

These students have went above and beyond in not only completing an internship experience, but maximizing the potential learning opportunities from them. We are proud to have them earn these awards sponsored by the Penn State Agricultural Alumni Society. Many Agricultural and Extension Education students have gained valuable skills from taking on an internship experience and we encourage other students to apply in the future! To apply for the Ag Alumni Society Internship Award in the future, check out the following link. https://agsci.psu.edu/alumni/awards/student/internship-award for more information.

Morgan Bear

CPPD Student Worker

Agricultural and Extension Education

Class of 2023

Two AEE Students Selected for the Ag Future of America (AFA) Leaders Conference

Nina Coolidge and Nicole Guise have been selected and awarded a scholarship to attend the virtual Ag Future of America (AFA) Leaders Conference during November 11-14, 2020. "This program bridges the gap between academic, leadership, and work experiences while helping students understand the impact of their decisions." This year the opportunities include a 1:1 Professional and Peer Networking Session, Virtual Opportunity Fair, Personalized Curriculum, and On-Demand Sessions. These include Plant/Cell Based Meat, Impact of the Election on Food and Agriculture, and Sustainability and Conservation. Both of these students have filled out an application and submitted resumes including internships, club involvement, and references to be selected for this award. We are proud to have them both as Agricultural & Extension Education students at Penn State! 

The first recipient is Nina Coolidge a freshman at the University Park campus. She shares how she found the AFA conference, "I found out about this opportunity through Collegiate Cattlewomen’s Club here at Penn State. I attended a meeting where the AFA Conference was brought up and it sounded like a good opportunity." Nina plans to use this opportunity to better prepare her for her future in Agriculture Education. "Overall, I hope to gain a better knowledge of the agricultural industry, so I can take my knowledge into my own classroom once I become an agricultural educator. I would love to gain connections with agricultural industry partners that may possibly lead to future internships." Nina is excited to connect with other students from across the country and enhance her agriculture knowledge. During the conference she also hopes to gain lasting connections with industry partners. As a freshman, this is a great accomplishment and we look forward to hearing how the experience goes for Nina.

Nicole Guise has also been accepted to participate in this conference. Nicole is a senior majoring in Agricultural and Extension Education. She learned about the opportunity to attend this conference through a friend who graduated from Penn State last year, and was very involved in AFA and highly recommended it to her. She is hoping to gain content knowledge in areas where she is unfamiliar with and heading into student teaching she has some topics she would like to brush up on. Nicole shares "Hopefully, some new and creative ideas will come out of the information presented and I can incorporate it into my lesson and unit planning. " Although the conference is being held virtually this year, Nicole has been grateful of this so that she can still attend during a busy and important semester and not have to travel and take time away from classes. Nicole is most excited to meet students from other states across the country. She is looking forward to connecting with professional organizations at the opportunity fair as well. "NAAE will also be at the opportunity fair so I am excited to meet with people from the profession to learn more about how to leverage this experience in my student teaching and teaching career." With many things going on this semester, Nicole continues to find opportunities that push her to become a better leader. 

Both of these ladies have excelled in taking opportunities available in the College of Agriculture Sciences at Penn State to better themselves. They have bright futures a head of them and we are happy to have this opportunity awarded to students in our major. Congratulations again on being selected to attend the AFA Leaders Conference, we hope you have a great experience!

Morgan Bear

CPPD Student Worker

Agricultural & Extension Education

Class of 2023

2019 Student Leader Scholarship Recipients

From the 1620 teachings of Squanto to the English settlers to the establishment of the Smith-Hughes Act in 1917, agricultural education revolved primarily around teaching students how to grow and harvest food. Today however, agricultural education's focus has shifted from cultivating knowledgeable farmers and ranchers to developing strong leaders in all fields of agriculture including mechanics, science, medicine, and marketing capable of overcoming the impending challenges of the industry. In recognition of this shift, the Center for Dairy Excellence Foundation of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Dairymen's Association come together to award the Student Leader Scholarship.

Every year, ten undergraduate students who have plans to pursue a career related to the dairy industry in the future are selected to receive the Student Leadership Scholarship for their outstanding accomplishments in their respective academic programs. This $3,000 scholarship provides recognition, encouragement, and financial support for these future leaders of the industry. This year two outstanding students enrolled in the Agricultural and Extension Education program at The Pennsylvania State University were awarded this scholarship.

Nicole Guise is a junior majoring in Agricultural and Extension Education at The Pennsylvania State University. She grew up in Spring Grove and got her start in the dairy industry on Buttonwood Farms and Bentz Hollow Farms which her family owns and operates. Nicole served as both the York Dairy Princess and State Dairy Princess which she believes allowed her to "give consumers a more personal relationship with the dairy industry". She is passionate about advocating for agriculture, interned with the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, and hopes to become an agricultural educator in the future to combine her two passions of dairy farming and teaching others. While Nicole may not be working full-time on her family's dairy farm in the future, she hopes to use her career as an agricultural educator to spotlight the dairy industry through student competitions, curriculum, and opportunities and develop students into informed consumers. One of Nicole's favorite aspects of the Agricultural and Extension Education program at Penn State is the travel opportunities that the program offers. In reference to these opportunities, Nicole explained, "I think the program does a good job of showing students just how diverse agriculture is". Nicole plans to use the Student Leader Scholarship towards her tuition costs.

Thomas Gabel of Newport, Pennsylvania is a sophomore studying Agricultural and Extension Education at The Pennsylvania State University. Growing up on his parents dairy farm, Thomas helped to milk, feed, and manage the cows.  He hopes to continue to advocate for the dairy industry in the classroom as an agricultural educator in the future and develop an innovative agricultural education program that will allow his students to make connections to the dairy industry. Thomas wishes to teach agriculture "to have an exponential impact on students, communities, and the world". He believes that by investing in students, we are able to make a positive impact on them which they will in turn pass on to others. "I want to empower students and help them to develop their passions and find a future career path for them". Thomas's favorite aspect of the Agricultural and Extension Education program at Penn State is that it feels like family. He believes that this atmosphere has allowed him to forge lasting relationships with his peers and the faculty in the program. "No matter who you are interacting with in the program, they are there to support you". Thomas is grateful for the Student Leadership Scholarship and plans to use it to continue to pursue his degree and advocate for the dairy industry.

Congratulations again to Nicole and Thomas and the rest of the scholarship winners for being strong leaders in the Agricultural and Extension Education program and for being awarded the Student Leader Scholarship.  Click here to learn more about the 2020 Student Leader Scholarship. 

Taylor Halbleib

Student Blogger

Agricultural and Extension Education

Class of 2022