Ferguson College of Agriculture

Get to Know Carley!

 

Tell us a little bit about yourself:

"I grew up in southwestern Ohio where my family raised beef cattle and alfalfa hay. As a young 4-H member, I enjoyed showing livestock and became more exposed to the agriculture industry and the potential for my involvement within it in the future. As a high school FFA member and eventually an Ohio FFA State Officer, I found a love for the diversity of experiences the agriculture industry offered. From learning about food chemistry to business economics to leadership, I created a strong skillset from my high school FFA and agriculture experiences. This led to my pursuit of a Bachelor's Degree in Agriscience Education at The Ohio State University because I wanted to create similar experiences for other young people in the industry.

 

"Upon my graduation in 2017, in order to broaden my agriculture experiences and deepen my classroom teaching skills, I began a Master's Degree in Agricultural Education at Oklahoma State University. At OSU, I assisted in leading the McKnight Scholars Leadership Program and helped teach a variety of courses. After graduation, I spent a year teaching agricultural education in southwestern Oklahoma, and today I am a high school agricultural education teacher in western Ohio. My experiences at OSU have made me a better teacher and coach for my students and a better advocate for the agriculture industry. I am forever proud to be an Oklahoma State Cowboy and part of the AECL family!"

 

What is your favorite part of your job?

"My favorite part of my job is watching students grow in their knowledge and skills. From seeing a ninth grader who had never spoken in front of a group before becoming a confident public speaker to helping a junior learn more about agricultural mechanics and being able to apply that knowledge on their family farm, my job allows me to teach and facilitate student growth on a daily basis. Being able to provide students with opportunities to experience that kind of applicable and life-changing positive development is incredible!"

 

How has your master's in agricultural education degree served you in your career?

"The Master's Degree in Agricultural Education I received from OSU deepened my understanding of how to provide students with experientially-based learning opportunities inside and outside of my classroom. Through my coursework and working with the AECL faculty, I was challenged to become a better content expert in my classroom, program manager in my FFA chapter, and overall a stronger student advocate in my community."