Well, it's been a while since I have updated all of you on my Agricultural Education journey. "Did I graduate from Penn State?" "Where am I now?" The list goes on and on, just like my own story that I am writing. Better yet, the story that God is helping me write.
Sure, I completed my student teaching at Big Spring Middle School. Check! Yes, I finally graduated from Penn State University with a bachelor's in Agricultural and Extension Education in May of 2024! Check! However, to answer the endless list of questions, all I can say or the advice that I can give is to take the road less traveled.
Now, that seems like an obvious lesson to learn. Not only is it something that you might have heard through reading the Bible, church sermons, or a good motivational speaker. Yet, it just doesn't hit home until you truly experience it in your life. It is not just saying to be yourself, but to go places and do things that others are not willing to go and do. Things or places that most people might overlook or ignore because they aim for something better. Or something that they think is better at that time.
Yet, I have found that it is through the road less traveled, the road that you were not expecting to take, that you find purpose, meaning, and true life. You find rewards that only point to Christ and the story that he is writing in your life.
While you continue down this road less traveled, it seems as if all the pieces start to fit together like a glove. The pieces might not be entirely perfect, without challenges and trials, but through those imperfections, they create circumstances or bring individuals into your life that are needed to grow and be who God created you to be. Still, you would not have seen it, looking down the long path, past the stretch of road that you could see at the beginning of the journey. Only when you are in the midst of the journey do those surprises unfold.
For me, this describes my journey to my agricultural education career. As I am sure most of you are aware, I started out taking general classes through Fort Hays State University (online) to figure out what degree and career I wanted to do. Once God had given me the thought of Agricultural Education (You can read all about it in my very first blog post.), I continued to take all the general courses at Fort Hays until I had to transfer to Penn State to finish my degree in my junior and senior years. However, this took longer than the traditional four years of college; it was closer to six years after I graduated from Miracle Mountain Ranch. Was this typical? No. Was I older than the rest of my cohort in Ag Ed? Yep. It was the road less traveled and the road for me. Sure, I had struggles and challenges along the way to my degree at Penn State (too many to list in this blog), but it was through those challenges and struggles that I learned, grew, and adapted. I also had so many great opportunities and met many individuals that I now get to call colleagues and, better yet, friends. For instance, I joined the 2nd annual GOALs Program, where I taught middle schoolers in Minnesota, attended multiple professional development workshops in various states, and student taught at Big Spring Middle School, being the first student teacher to do so! Still, these events were all necessary steps to getting me my degree and placing me where I am today. Although, little did I know that I would continue to strive for this theme and take the road less traveled.
So, how did I get to where I am today? Where even is that? It all started back in student teaching when I visited Tri-Valley JSHS. All student teachers were required to visit another student teacher at their cooperating site to observe and learn from them. Of course, I chose to visit one of my colleagues at Tri-Valley for a few reasons. The main reason was that I wanted to scope out the place as a potential teaching site to start off my agricultural education career. You see, Tri-Valley had opened a new agricultural teaching position at the beginning of my senior year. One that I had started to consider, but had not seen until that day. I did not know what to expect during my visit. Therefore, I went in with an open mind but also a list of what I imagined my dream Ag Ed position would be.
After my visit, I don't know what I expected to happen, but I was neither sold on the place nor wanting to run from it. Maybe I thought that God would just tell me, "That's the place," or that everything that the program did would align exactly with my views and dreams, but that didn't happen. I was in limbo. Soon, the Tri-Valley position was in competition with another position, that had opened, that offered both middle and high school agricultural education in my mind. Within the stress of trying to get to the finish line of student teaching, I have to admit that the other position was looking more desirable to me. The position offered more money and newer facilities that included a barn. Still, my mindset was set on the need to find an agricultural education position for the rest of my life and not just a stepping stone on the road to my dream career position. Hence, I hesitated in my indecisiveness. So much so that the more desirable position disappeared, leaving me with my original option of Tri-Valley.
For most of the summer, I contemplated Tri-Valley as an option to teach Ag Ed. Then, one day, I finally took the plunge and applied. The next thing you know, I had an interview lined up for it on my birthday. In turn, this probably should have told me that this career move would be a wonderful gift, but I didn't see the sign. The interview, however, helped me to start seeing this position as more than just a step in the road to my Ag Ed journey. The position surprised me. It was passionate about the future of agricultural education and community/family-based, aligning more and more with my dream career than I originally thought. It all started to click! Thus, I accepted the position of the second agricultural educator at Tri-Valley when it was offered to me!
Still, little did I know that accepting this offer would change my whole world and my career. What was once an overlooked position by many, including myself, for different reasons, was the hidden gem that was destined to find me. It was the road less traveled and the road for me. For in this position, God has blessed me with wonderful opportunities and people in my life that challenge me to become a better person and agricultural educator every single day. Right now, I could not think of a better place to start my agricultural education journey. A position that might just be the first and last position of my entire Ag Ed career. Only God and time will tell with that one. Yet, if I had never given the position a second thought in search of something better, something missing, I would have never gained the opportunities or the colleagues/friends that I have today. In addition, I would not be who I am today without them, loving every single minute of my job.
For me, Tri-Valley is no longer just a position or job, but my career and my life, where I am loving every single minute of it (even the rough times). Why? Because I chose to take the road less traveled. In reality, I was more like guided towards the road less traveled by the One who knew more of what I needed than I did. Still, we must make that choice to follow that guidance towards the road less traveled and take it. You never know where it might lead and how it might positively change you and those around you. So, venture off the beaten, or popular, path and take a chance on the road less traveled in your life.
Just "Keeping It Veal"!
- Ms. Emily Jay
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