" I didn't grow up on a farm" is the shocking answer I give when I am asked how I got to be passionate about agriculture, livestock, and animal sciences.
My story isn’t the usual, "I grew up on fifth-generation dairy farm in southeast Pennsylvania and everyone in my family farms, so here I am". My story is, no one in my family farms. My dad’s manager for custom kitchen and bathroom designer company and my mom worked as a teacher's aide. The closest thing to agriculture in my household was whatever was in the refrigerator. But as a small child, cliché of course, I loved animals. So, at the age of 8, I joined the local 4-H program and that is where my journey into agriculture began.
I work full time for Penn State Extension as a 4-H Educator in Dauphin County. Dauphin County is home to the state's capital, Harrisburg, along with the sweetest place on earth, Hershey. I started in Extension in June 2013, after graduating from Delaware Valley University with a dual degree in Livestock Science and Dairy Science. I was first located in Delaware County, PA, which is the neighboring county to Philadelphia. While there, I was the 4-H Educator and Farm Manager of a unique educational farm. These opportunities allowed me to teach urban youth about agriculture, food production, animal sciences and much more through hands-on learning experiences. Eye-opening moments like these made me aware of the need for agriculture education to youth and adults.
While being close to my Alma Mater, I became a part-time adjunct professor teaching various courses including; Suburban Goat Production, Livestock Judging & Evaluation and Anatomy & Physiology. Working and teaching college-aged students was enjoyable and developed a personal goal to return to academia as an animal science professor.
As I continue to work in Extension, I have become invested in my future, which would include continuing my education to further advancement within Penn State. I struggled to find a professor that would accept a part-time animal science master's student who wasn't located in State College. For my first three years, I kept trying to get into the master's program, but I heard a lot of no, it's impossible, it won't work, quit your job, etc. I transferred to Dauphin County, hoping that the hour and a half commute to State College would open a door for me. In January 2017, Dr. Troy Ott took me on as a part-time animal science graduate student in the field of bovine reproductive immunology. Since then, I have been commuting to campus for classes and lab work to pursue my dream of getting my master's degree.
I’m looking forward to AEE 530 to learn, laugh and meet others passionate about sharing knowledge with others!
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