Faculty Introduction: Kevin Curry

My journey into agricultural education was not typical. It was an awesome experience with showing lambs and judging livestock in high school that I realized a passion for agriculture. Thanks to an awesome ag teacher and some phenomenal mentors, I coupled my interest in agriculture with a knack for teaching and coaching youth.

After completing a double major in Animal Science and Agricultural Education from NC State in 2008, I remained in Raleigh for my masters in agricultural education, where I helped develop a college level biotechnology course and conducted a thesis on the SoTL in a post-secondary course.

I entered the classroom in 2010, where I had the awesome opportunity to build an agriculture program at a brand new school- Wheatmore High School, in Randolph County, North Carolina. Of the course of four years, we built a greenhouse and six raised beds where we grew a variety of bedding plant, vegetables and hanging baskets in the spring, as well as mums and pansies in the fall.

I had little background in horticulture prior to my position as an agriculture teacher, but truth be told it was one of my favorite courses to teach. Each year, my Hort 2 students worked with our special needs populations to teach them some skills needed in the garden. The greenhouse not only helped pay the bills for my FFA program to do awesome things, but it was a great teaching space and facility to house student SAE projects.

Although I enjoyed the horticulture, animal science was my true passion. To teach a variety of basic animal husbandry techniques, we built a small ruminant facility to house dairy calves we acquired from local farms. We would raise them from birth to feeder calf weight providing the perfect learning laboratory for castration, dehorning, giving shots, etc.

This facility tapped into all of my training as an educator. From crafting a budget proposal pitched to the local school board, to designing and installing fencing systems. It was truly a labor of love, and it gives me a warm feeling to know it will serve the agriculture students for many years to come.





In 2014, I made the difficult decision to leave the classroom and pursue my doctorate in agricultural education. I found my way back to NC State, where I had another amazing three years training to be a college professor. My dissertation work centered on educational psychology, where I predicted the performance of students in FFA competition based on motivational drivers. After three years of helping train future agriculture teachers in North Carolina, I had the privilege of joining the faculty at Penn State as an assistant professor in AEE. Here in Happy Valley, I teach AEE 311 (SAE & FFA), AEE 100 (Intro to Teaching), and am developing a science literacy course.



I am joined in Happy Valley with my better half, Melissa. She and I met showing lambs back in high school and I've been lucky enough to hang on to her ever since! Melissa is a rockstar middle school teacher at Bald Eagle. We enjoy being outdoors and spend our summers kayaking, hiking, and exploring our great national parks.