ST. PAUL — The Minnesota Agricultural Education Leadership Council (MAELC) is excited to announce its newest group of Agricultural Education interns! Seven students majoring in Agricultural Education at the University of Minnesota-Crookston, the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, South Dakota State University, and California State University-Fresno with an interest in teaching agricultural education in Minnesota have been selected and paired with current Minnesota agriculture teachers for the summer.
MAELC is pleased to work with the following interns and their supervising teachers this summer:
Intern Supervising Teacher High School(s)
Anna Buckentine Ethan Dado / Nathan Hanel Mankato / Southern Agricultural Center of Excellence
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Dana Hedberg Lisa Orren Redwood Valley
South Dakota State University
Tiara Malakowsky Lindsey Brockberg Mountain Lake
University of Minnesota-Crookston
Taylor Peck Mary Hoffmann Sleepy Eye
South Dakota State University
Elizabeth Risacher Stephanie Brandt Sibley East
South Dakota State University
Cassandra Valdez Stacy Fritz Chatfield
California State University-Fresno
Savanna Weber Abbie Savage Ada-Borup
University of Minnesota-Crookston
Paul Aarsvold, agriculture teacher at Plainview-Elgin-Millville, will be serving as the program coordinator for the internship.
The purpose of the Agricultural Education Internship is to spark an interest in current undergraduate students to consider entering the teaching profession and to provide hands-on experience as an agriculture teacher. A 2020 intern stated, “I’ve learned so much about what a successful summer Agricultural Education program can look like, and am excited to use it in the future! A few years from now, I hope to be working with my own Agricultural Education program as a full-time teacher.”
The experience will focus on summer programming, such as Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) visits, curriculum development, community events, and FFA leadership trainings. One week will also be spent at the Minnesota Association of Agricultural Educators (MAAE) summer conference, providing opportunities for professional development and networking.
This internship was made possible by generous donations from AgriBank, AgCountry Farm Credit Services, Christensen Farms, CHS Foundation, Compeer Financial, and MAELC.
MAELC is a 16-member legislative council that provides leadership to promote and expand agricultural education in Minnesota. The state legislature, agricultural educators, and agriculture industry leaders are all represented on the council.
— Minnesota Agricultural Education Leadership Council
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