Announcing the October Student of the month, Elizabeth Holtry

  October 2022 AEE Student Of The Month

Elizabeth Holtry 

    Each month the Center for Professional Personnel Development recognizes students that have outstanding achievements both academically and with extra-curricular activities and involvement. We are excited to announce that Liz Holtry is the October 2022 Agricultural and Extension Education Student of the Month!

    Liz’s hometown is Newburg, PA, and she is a 2020 graduate of Chambersburg Area Senior High School. Liz attended the PSU Branch Campus Mont Alto. She said that "it was a wonderful time at a beautiful campus conveniently situated 45 minutes from home. This is where I completed a year of dual enrollment and my freshman year of college".

    She will graduate in 2023 with a BS in Agricultural and Extension Education. When asked about her future plans she responded, " I plan to teach high school agriculture and inspire the future of such a growing and changing industry. I hope to give my students the same if not more opportunities than I was given in high school to develop themselves as tomorrow’s leaders".

    Liz shares that she chose Penn State because of the welcoming Teach Ag! Family! Penn State was also where all three of her ag teachers attended college, and since they had inspired her to become an agricultural educator, she thought it would be a great fit.

         "My favorite PSU Class has been Animal Science 201. Mr. Dale Olver and the TAs of my lab taught me so much relevant animal science knowledge that helped prepare me to teach animal science to my future students."

    "Over the course of my time at Penn State, I have been a member of the PSU FFA Alumni and Supporters chapter and Penn State Dairy Science Club. I have also enjoyed working during my time at Penn State as an intern for the Global Teach Ag Network, milking cows for both Beidel Brothers and Rustik Dairy, and serving as a Substitute teacher for Chambersburg Area School District."

Awards banquet for PSU FFA Alumni
and Supporters Chapter

Penn State Dairy Science Club

    

    Something about Liz is that her favorite sports team is  "The Roxbury Red Socks, a local Adult Men's Softball team from my area". And her favorite hangout on campus is in Ferguson. "On most days I can be found in 214, or somewhere in the building! There is always someone to lend a helping hand or answer one of my many questions!" Her favorite place to eat in state College is Champs Sports Grill. Her hobbies include being outdoors, hiking, fishing, and hunting with her family and friends. Another thing she enjoys is reading and traveling when she has time.

    Liz has an FFA Background and was a member and officer of the Chambersburg FFA from 8^th through 9^th Grade. "I initially served as the Middle School’s secretary, and then served as the high school’s historian (9^th), secretary (10^th), and president (11^th and 12^th) for two years. I enjoyed participating in community and chapter events like the Franklin County Fall Farm Fun Fest, Gleaning Apples for those in need, and our Fall Harvest Party. I also enjoyed competing in Forestry, Wildlife, and Public Speaking at both the area and State levels."

"Picture from Grandparents' farm in 2004"

   "My passion for agriculture originated as I grew up spending time on my grandparent’s farm. I was able to help raise steers, hogs, sheep, and chickens on their farm. Seeing my Mimi and Pappy’s hard work turn labor into food to feed our family inspired my love for agriculture. My childhood was filled with fun adventures of sheering sheep, feed runs, and chasing hogs and steers, creating a love for the ag industry. I also considered going into Forestry to follow in my dad’s footsteps. Forestry is still a passion that I have, and I think that Ag Ed is a great way to tie many of my passions into a career."            

    "One interesting thing about me is that I am a recipient of the Dairy Shrine and Dairy Management Inc. Education and Communication Scholarship this year, which I received at the World Dairy Expo in Maddison, Wisconsin."

Liz and her cooperating teacher

    Liz will be student teaching at Shippensburg Area Senior High School. When asked what she is most excited about during student teaching, she responded: "I am most excited to learn how to balance planning for the classroom and running FFA activities during student teaching. I will be teaching 6 classes while student teaching. It will include Ag Leadership, Companion Animal Science, Small Gas Engine, Horticulture, Wildlife, and Ag Mechanics.

    Her favorite quote is "I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for." Jeremiah 29:11

                                                Be sure to follow Liz on her journey on Twitter @MsHoltry

Sara Lichty

CPPD Student Worker

Agricultural Sciences

Class of 2023

Meet the #psuaged23 Cohort

The Agricultural and Extension Education cohort of 2023 at Penn State will include 12 seniors embarking on their student teaching internships this spring. The cohort will be spread across Pennsylvania, teaching in a wide variety of agriculture classrooms striving to make a difference while making the transition from student to “behind the desk”.  Each cohort member brings their own unique talents and interests to the classroom. Today we will be exploring each member of the cohort, and what they are looking forward to most during their student teaching internship.

Ms. Morgan Bear is eager to inspire her students to become future leaders and agriculturists that can make informed decisions.  Morgan is on the Penn State livestock judging team and looks forward to sharing the knowledge this experience has given her with her students. She is very excited to strengthen her knowledge of Ag Mech as she teaches her Intro to Ag Mechanics class during student teaching at Northern York High School this Spring. 

Ms. Carly Rudy is a cohort member deeply rooted in Ag and excited to become an agricultural educator. Her wide variety of animal science knowledge is highlighted by her love for horses and rabbits. Carly has 21 of her own Californian and Lionhead rabbits that she breeds and sells for her own small business. She will be student teaching at Tyrone Area High School this Spring where she is most looking forward to teaching about wildlife and fisheries in a Natural Resources and Ecology class.

Ms. Grace Shawver is happy to share her passion for agriculture with her students and the surrounding community. Grace’s newfound passion for travel shows through her recent experience in Nepal, where she was able to do an undergraduate research project on agricultural education. In the Spring, Selinsgrove Area High School will welcome Grace, where she is excited to teach Ag Foundations.

 

Mr. Baylor Shunk wants to expose his students to the endless opportunities and careers that the agriculture industry offers. He wrestles for the Penn State University, which gives him a unique way to connect to his students. He is excited to apply his array of previous knowledge to his small gas engines class at Central Columbia High School.

Ms. Killiann George is anticipating the forming of today’s leaders and tomorrow’s agriculturists in her classroom. Killiann has had a diverse assortment of experiences preparing her to be an agricultural educator, starting with her first ever plane ride to Belize with Penn State. She is looking forward to teaching Small Animal Science and Care at Dover Area High School this Spring. 

Mr. Jacob Turko is excited to give his students a chance to grow in the classroom. Jacob brings various resources to the classroom, including his own experiences with labs and research. He is excited to teach Environmental Resource Management during his student teaching immersion at Walter B. Saul High School this Spring.

Ms. Anna Sweeten plans to incorporate an industry she loves into her classes that will be filled with hands on learning. She loves to share that she used to live in Cuba, New York, where her passion for agriculture first began. Anna’s strong traits of leadership will shine through as she teaches an FFA Leadership course among the many others at Kennard-Dale High School this Spring.

Ms. Krista Mathias wants to Teach Ag because it gives her the ability to shape the future of the agriculture industry one student at a time. Krista will be juggling lots of Ag courses at Pequea Valley High School this Spring, where she might just share her awesome juggling skills. She is looking froward to teaching Ag Biology which highlights her previous experience of specializing in Biology at IUP.

Ms. Ambar Robalino is another cohort member excited to get on her way to teaching agriculture next semester. Amber is looking forward to sharing her unique knowledge as she teaches a class about exotic animals at Brockway Junior-Senior High School this Spring.

Ms. Nicolette Cusate is ready to hit the ground running with her student teaching experience. She will show her Agricultural Leadership students what it looks like to be a leader in Agriculture as she serves as the 2023 Clarion County Ms. United States Agriculture. Nicolette will be student teaching at Northwestern Senior High School this Spring.

Ms. Lauren Kachel will be bridging the gap between consumers and producers during her time student teaching at Penn Manor High School this Spring. Lauren’s dedication to agriculture educations shows through her love for her favorite animals, amphibians. Lauren will be highlighting this dedication as she teaches many classes, including Plant Science Two.

Ms. Elizabeth Holtry is excited to work with her cooperating center to change the lives of each of her students. Elizabeth is passionate about dairy science and her love for the outdoors. She will be able to draw on her previous experiences to relate to students as she instructs many agriculture classes at Shippensburg Area Senior High School, where she is looking forward to teaching Intro to Wildlife Management.

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