Evans, 2020
Katherine Terrell Dickson graduated from Ohio State in 2015 with a degree in agriscience education. She is employed as the agriscience educator for middle and high school students for Gallipolis City Schools.
[ACEL]: Hello Katherine! Why did you select to major in agriscience education?
[Dickson]: I knew in high school that I wanted to be an agriculture science teacher. My agriculture science teacher made learning fun! It just wasn’t a pen and pencil type class, and I wanted to provide those experiences to students to discover the world around them, by learning by doing.
Why did you choose to attend The Ohio State University?
I chose Ohio State because of the attention to detail when I took my visit. The faculty made me feel welcome and already part of the Buckeye family.
How were you involved outside of the classroom?
During my time at Ohio State, I was a member of Agricultural Education Society and worked in the ACEL office.
What classes did you enjoy the most while at Ohio State?
The classes that I enjoyed most during my time at Ohio State were the ones where we were doing something with our hands! I took a greenhouse management class, and got to experience plants throughout different climate regions. I also enjoyed teaching methods with Dr. Susie Whittington. Dr. Whittington taught the class in a way where we didn’t even realize we were learning and implementing ways that we would soon be teaching to our future students.
Do you have a faculty member, or two, that were made an impact on your time at Ohio State?
There were many professors that had an impact on me during and post Ohio State. The two that stand out the most are Dr. Susie Whittington and Dr. Jamie Cano. They both made it possible to experience the real teaching career while still at Ohio State and took special interest in helping everyone succeed. From studying abroad with Dr. Cano and developing communities in Honduras, and connecting with local FFA members at the Farm Science Review with Dr. Whittington, no one else can parallel .
What is your favorite memory related to your time at Ohio State?
My favorite Ohio State memory would be the entire BLOCK experience. There is nothing more memorable than making memories of all kinds and having life long friends with the people you spend a whole semester with day in and day out. We still continue making memories through our personal and professional lives.
What was your first job following your education at Ohio State?
I began working for Gallipolis City Schools as an agriscience educator in 2015.
As of today, what is your favorite career highlight?
My favorite career highlight is the formation of our middle school agriculture program. Exposing youth to agriculture sooner is a win! The students get to experience the FFA side, as well as develop skilled provided in and out of the class that set them apart from the rest of their peers.
What advice would you give to a current student?
My best advice for all agriscience education majors: There is a method to the madness. Trust it, it works!
And finally, what did ACEL cultivate in you?
ACEL cultivated ambition in me! THE ambition to to try new things, and not be afraid of the outcome and the ambition to get out of the comfort zone.
Ms. Terrell with two of her Gallipolis FFA members.
Harvesting at the Ohio State Farm Science Review as part of her ASM course for agriscience education students.
With Mr. Birkhimer as first year teachers at National FFA Convention.
Working at the Gallia County Junior Fair.
With classmates and Honduran friends during the 2014 study abroad trip to Choluteca, Honduras, Central America.
Working a shift in the Agricultural Education Society food stand at Farm Science Review.
OHIO with classmates turned colleagues and friends.
By: Dr. Tracy Kitchel
Chair of the Department of Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership
There are times in your life when things come full circle. It’s the idea that who you knew in one setting or what you had done previously surfaces or links to something in present time in a new, yet familiar way. After having had the opportunity to move back to Ohio this summer, I’ve had a number of “full circle” moments. For example, my office at OSU is the room where I defended my master’s thesis. When I met the donor of my first Ohio State scholarship this past fall where I’m now in a capacity to give back myself. When I walked into the Agriculture Hall of Fame breakfast, I found myself catching up with numerous friends, college mates, and acquaintances I had not seen for years after having convinced myself I wouldn’t know a single person in the room. When those full circle moments occur, I find myself reflecting on those links that had made those full circles come to fruition. I would argue that some of my most powerful full circle moments are connected with my involvement in FFA.
My first set of full circle moments happened when I had the opportunity to serve as the 1994-1995 State FFA Reporter. It makes sense, really. I had the opportunity to conduct chapter visits to inspire other FFA members like I had been inspired by state officers before me. I had the opportunity to be a part of running the state FFA convention, an event that had motivated me year after year as a high school student. The most significant full circle moments for me as a state officer was spending time with FFA members one-on-one. I was not the best officer in terms of meeting a large proportion of FFA members at any given event, but the members I did meet I knew well. I remember when state or national FFA officers took time to talk to me one-on-one. Those were very impactful conversations that helped shape my FFA career. I can only hope that some of my conversations did the same for others.
Tracy Kitchel, 1994-1995 Ohio FFA State Reporter
More full circle moments occurred when I became an FFA advisor. I was the agriculture teacher and FFA advisor at Archbold High School from 1999-2002. Again, there were many opportunities for those full circle moments. Some full circle moments felt more like karma. For example, I had know-it-all students in my class that drove me crazy – a characteristic that I’m sure I surfaced for my agriculture teacher who was equally annoyed with me. Others were more powerful. I remember the faces of my students when I took them to their first national FFA convention session – the same awe-inspiring face I had years prior. I recall my students understanding – and even thanking me – for requiring them to have nice-looking official dress, which is something I took pride in as an FFA member myself. I think my favorite full circle moment was watching students fall in love with agriculture in my classroom, just as I had fallen in love with agriculture from having lived on a farm and a love that was reinforced from my experiences in FFA.
Dr. Kitchel driving the pontoon boat at FFA camp during his chapter’s FFA officer retreat.
I would be remiss in not sharing one of the most powerful full circle moments. As a professor and teacher educator, I have the opportunity to train future agriculture teachers and FFA advisors. I could spend hours on the full circle moments watching these future teachers move from student to student teacher to beginning teacher and now to master teacher. However, that powerful full circle moment is connected to one of my first college students, who happened to be the daughter of my agriculture teacher. Joseph K. Slone, former agriculture teacher and FFA advisor at National Trail High School, is on a short list of pivotal people who helped shape my career. Needless to say, there was immense pressure to make sure his daughter was take care of and trained well. I was a new Assistant Professor and newly-minted Ph.D. when Joe Slone brought his daughter Jessica to summer registration in 2005 at the University of Kentucky. I would be assigned as her academic advisor, would later teach her teaching methods course and eventually would be her university supervisor for student teaching. Whether she liked it or not, she was stuck with me. My parents shared with me that throughout Jessica’s college career, Joe would quiz them about whether I was staying or leaving (even when there was no evidence of me leaving). He shared with them that he had great relief knowing I was in Lexington and that I was her advisor. Be he also shared that if I ever left, 1. that relief would go away and 2. he would likely hunt me down. I took great pride (and felt great pressure) in knowing the trust he placed in me to not only take care of his daughter, but felt that pride and pressure even more so in being a key part of her development as an agriculture teacher and FFA advisor. It truly was full circle in the most fulfilling way. I’ve enjoyed watching her career blossom and now that I’ve returned to Ohio, I am much closer to see her change students’ lives as she continues to build the Covington agriculture program and FFA chapter.
Dr. Kitchel (left), Spring 2009 University of Kentucky graduation.
There were great things that occurred while I wore that blue corduroy jacket. My experiences in that jacket took me to places I had never been, both physical and otherwise. It transformed how I thought about myself, who I wanted to be, and gave me tools that I use in my life today. With that said, I think some of my best experiences with FFA have been after wearing that jacket. Your experiences with FFA do not end in high school – that’s only where they begin, if you let it. Find your full-circle moments by staying connecting with FFA locally, state-wide or nationally and consider becoming an agriculture teacher/FFA advisor yourself. You will find joy and fulfillment in engaging in those FFA full circle moments.