About Me
Hello everyone! I would like to start out my blog by introducing myself. My name is Erica Teagarden and I am a student at Penn State studying Agricultural and Extension Education. I am halfway through my junior year of school and am beginning my journey to student teaching! I come from a small farm in southwestern Pennsylvania and I am the fifth generation to work on the farm. I grew up exposed to the agricultural industry in many different ways. My first notable experience outside of the farm is my county and community fairs, the Washington County Agricultural Fair and the West Alexander Fair. I raised dairy heifers and market livestock that I then exhibited and sold at the fairs. My fairs have always been an important part of my life and in 2023 I was crowned as the Washington County Agricultural Fair Queen which then led to me competing at the state contest and being chosen as the 2024 Pennsylvania Fair Queen. I got to represent the Pennsylvania State Association of County Fairs for a year as I traveled to different local and state events, and of course many county and community fairs, as well as advocated for the agricultural industry. I also spent 10 years as a member of multiple Washington County 4-H Clubs and not only got to be exposed to agriculture but improve my leadership skills by serving in a few officer positions. Although I loved being in 4-H, FFA was where I really found my home.
FFA Experience
I was a member of the McGuffey FFA Chapter all throughout high school. The moment that I stepped in to the classroom on the first day was I knew that I was exactly where I belonged. At my school, 8th graders were able to take Intro to Agriculture where we got into a brief overview of the agricultural industry, learned about the courses we could take within the ag department in future years, and learned about opportunities in FFA. I knew what FFA was going into high school but did not quite understand what it fully involved. However, in my first year I received my FFA jacket from the Pennsylvania FFA Alumni Association, competed in CDEs and LDEs, and applied for an officer position. During my time in ag education and FFA, I found my love for greenhouse production and public speaking. You could often find me in the greenhouse watering plants and practicing my speech for the upcoming competition. I was also lucky enough to realize what I wanted my future career to look like.
Realizing I want to be an Ag Educator
After the first say I stepped into the classroom, I knew that being an ag teacher was something that I wanted to do. Through my whole life I have felt like I fit very easily into an "educator" role in so many different ways. From 8th grade on I was set on becoming an ag educator, and not only that but attending Penn State (main campus of course) and majoring in Agricultural and Extension Education. I spent the rest of my high school career taking every opportunity that I could to meet those in ag education and learn about how they got to where they are now. I attended virtual seminars surrounding Penn State's program and visited campus before applying.
My Time at Penn State
I am lucky enough to have found an amazing community here at Penn State and I have gotten to have a lot of wonderful experiences. I have gotten to help with conferences and facilitate workshops as a Teach Ag! Avenger. I had the opportunity to travel to Belize during my freshman year and learn about agriculture and education in their country as well as just the overall culture and heritage. On campus I serve as an Ag Advocate and give tours and speak with perspective and accepted students and share my experience on campus with them. Outside of the College of Ag, I am actively involved as THON through one of the organizations that I am in and will serve as a THON Dancer in 2025. I been given so many opportunities to grow myself and connect with others through being involved on campus in so many ways. I will be sad to leave Penn State, but excited to see what my next chapter holds for me.
