"Who do you want to be when you grow up?" - A Meeting Me Memoir

From the day we begin our education, number one on our life list of Frequently Asked Questions is, "Who do you want to be when you grow up?" Well, friends, family, and those obligated to read this blog by the higher powers of Agricultural and Extension Education at Penn State, I am here to tell you that as a twenty two year old female hurtling head first towards her senior year in college I dread answering this question. As you shake your head and laugh at this silly reservation, let me further explain that there is an easy way and a hard way to answer this question (and I have never been known to chose the easy way out of anything). 

While it would be easy to greet you and introduce myself as Taylor Halbleib, a junior at Penn State University majoring in Agricultural and Extension Education with a minor in Equine Science, I feel this statement explains approximately one percent of who I am and even less of who I want to be when I grow up. Life is more complicated than one sentence of pleasantries, so bear with me as I take the "road less traveled by" to introduce myself to you.  

Becoming a Baby Agriculturist

My Elizabethtown FFA Officer Team

Unlike many of my cohort members in #psuaged22, I did not grow up as a working part of the industry. Instead, I took my first steps as a baby agriculturist during my sophomore year in high school when I entered Mr. Mark Anderson's Introduction to Agriculture class. Up until this point in my life, my response to the question, "Who do you want to be when you grow up?" consisted of a lot of stammering and shoulder shrugging. As a child of separated parents I spent little time thinking about my future and a lot of time packing to visit my Dad for the weekend, so I was miles behind my high school friends who had already chosen a political party and decided they wanted to be the next President of the United States. Don't get me wrong, my family has given me and supported me through so much and I love them with my whole heart, I just didn't grow up in a climate conducive to future planning. However, participating in hands-on learning experiences and the Elizabethtown FFA chapter does wonders for a troubled teenager and I basked in the self discovery.

Drinking the Kool-Aid

Facilitating in Lancaster County

Within the Agricultural and Extension Education major we often joke about "drinking the Kool-Aid" of agricultural education; most people take a sip and it becomes they're favorite drink. I drank the whole bowl and quite often feel like the Kool-Aid man busting through walls to talk about agriculture and agricultural education to anyone who will listen. I am a hopeless romantic, so it's no surprise that I fell head over heels in love with the agriculture industry. My agriculture teachers gave me many gifts, but the one I treasure the most would have to be exposing me to something so much bigger than myself. The vast nature of the industry captivated me and I became deadly passionate about the role agriculture plays in all of our lives. What's more, FFA transformed me from a shy girl that sat at the back of the classroom to the 2017-2018 Pennsylvania FFA State Secretary who prided herself on living outside of her comfort zone and loved every minute of it. At this point in my life the question, "Who do you want to be when you grow up?", had infinite answers that ranged from a large animal veterinarian to a horse trainer. It was not until I shared with my agriculture teachers that I wanted to "FFA for the rest of my life", that I realized how deeply I had been touched by the opportunity to educate others. Working with students in an agriculture setting was scary, frustrating, and tiring, but I had never felt so blessed to experience the joy of a student understanding a new concept, stepping out of their comfort zone and growing from it, or simply loving the experience of learning. The students I encountered as a State Officer saved me from uncertainty, insecurity, and doubt and I have since been determined to teach agriculture.

My State Officer Team

College - A Freight Train

Coming off of the high of State Office hit me like a freight train. To save money, I began my college education at Penn State Harrisburg and while there I felt shockingly disconnected from agriculture. Two crammed summer semesters and a freshman year later, I raced to University Park where I dove headfirst into everything agriculture. I currently am the President of Agricultural Student Council, the Vice President of L.E.A.D. Society, the National Student President of Alpha Tau Alpha, a co-apparel chair for the Collegiate Horsemen's Association at Penn State, and a member of the Newman Catholic Association, Dairy Science Club, the Teach Ag! Avengers, and the Coaly Honors Society. I am employed as a Student Worker for the Center for Professional Personnel Development, a Student Worker at the Penn State Horse Barns, and a Team Member at Tractor Supply. I also LOVE horses and spend a significant amount of time retreating to barn to get my fix of velvet soft noses and character building via a herd of 1,200 pound animals. Truthfully, joining so many clubs, obtaining three jobs, and pursuing a minor was slightly insane, but please refer back to the first paragraph of this blog where I admitted "easy" has been omitted from my personal dictionary. Plus, only the strongest plants grow under so much pressure. Do I frequently get overwhelmed by everything that I have on my plate? Yes. Have I learned to say no? No.

I REALLY Love Horses

Faith in Failure

Along with handling the growing pains of being an over-achiever, college has also gifted me with the crown jewels of adulthood we all know and love; failure. After working so hard to absorb agriculture in my academics, extracurriculars, and free time, experiencing multiple personal and professional failures has taken a toll on the confidence I fought to obtain in high school. One day I had a diploma, was looked up to as a leader by my peers, and had found a faith that had my heart on fire for our Lord, and the next I was years away from the diploma I really wanted, struggling to land summer internships, and failing to pray every day let alone live my life for God. Yet, failure builds character and the good Lord has given me so much grace that I look to the future bright eyed and bushy tailed, because people are still asking me, "Who do you want to be when you grow up?" which implies I am not yet a finished product, but a rough draft of the person I hope to be upon graduation. While I still dread the question, success and failure has at least allowed me to know what I want to be in the future.

To Be an Agricultural Educator

In the wake of that realization, I invite you to follow my journey to and through Student Teaching in agricultural education. There will be success, there will be failure, and there will be a massive learning curve, but that is why us agricultural education folk preach about the saving grace of a growth mindset. Each day I hope to learn a lot about teaching and a little more about why I am capable of growing the next generation of leaders in agriculture. My name is Taylor Halbleib and who I want to be when I grow up is a better person than I was yesterday.

"Taylor"ed with love,