The Agrication Station

Growing up on a dairy farm as a child, I was immediately instilled with a love for agriculture. I was very involved in 4-H from the age of eight to eighteen and I now serve as a volunteer leader through Penn State Extension. When I entered high school, I could not have been more grateful for the FFA program, the amazing mentors that I had in each of my agriculture teachers, and the lifelong friends that I have made. It was a turning point in my life where I knew I wanted to enter the agriculture industry after college to put my passion for the industry ​to good use. 

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However, when I entered college, it took me longer than I had hoped to find my true place in the agriculture industry. It wasn't until a year ago when both of my former agriculture teachers convinced me to attend the Pennsylvania Association of Agricultural Educators Conference that the light bulb finally turned on in my head. It was a moment of enlightenment when I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that I was going to be an agricultural educator. 

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For me, there has been never been a greater calling than to be an agricultural educator. We live in a world where consumers are so far removed from the farm and food supply that many truly believe their food comes from the grocery store. Agricultural Education is the key to consumer awareness, a greater understanding of our food producers, and a step towards securing our food supply for future generations. 

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I am so excited to begin my journey as an agricultural educator by gearing up for my student teaching experience at Tri-Valley High School with Gretchen Dingman in the spring of 2018. I hope that I am able to give back to the FFA, 4-H, and agricultural community even a small piece of what it has given to me, one student at a time.