Educators and school counselors can lead their students towards new academic and career opportunities in STEM and agriculture, thanks to a USDA-funded workshop led by the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.

“Ag and STEM Connect: Building Pathways to the STEA(g)M Profession”, led by CAES agricultural education professor Paula E. Faulkner, Ph.D. and family and consumer sciences professor Jennifer Beasley, Ph.D., is one of six modules in N.C. A&T’s SAPLINGS (System Approach to Promote Learning and Innovation for the Next Generations), the five-year $18.1 million project funded by USDA-NIFA through its NextGen program.

During the inaugural workshop, held June 24-26 at the University Farm Pavilion, 24 secondary educators and school counselors from North and South Carolina, Pennsylvania and Tennessee participated in a hybrid (virtual and in-person) setting where they heard guest speakers discuss a range of topics surrounding the state of agriculture from Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, digital agriculture, FFA and education-based programs, Family and Consumer Sciences, and college & career opportunities for interested students.

“By the end of this program, the educators are now able to communicate to their students about the importance of FANH Sciences and STEM programs and school counselors being aware of degree programs and careers when meeting with their students,” said workshop director and agricultural education professor Paula Faulkner, Ph.D. “We were thrilled to plan our first program with educators from elementary, middle and high school from as many disciplines as agricultural education, Family and Consumer Sciences, science, and math.”

Workshop director and assistant professor Jennifer Beasley, Ph.D., said the program had the “opportunity to reach numerous, underrepresented students, creating a ripple effect.”

“With educators' and guidance counselors' participation in our summer program, we have not only increased their awareness and knowledge of programs and career opportunities in the field of agriculture and FANH fields, but we have also planted the seed in them to support their students in getting involved in these very opportunities,” said Beasley. “We build relationships with educators and guidance counselors and students through our program, including the summer program and the internships, thus creating a ripple effect to spread information about all of the opportunities that are out there to start to fix the leaky pipeline.”

Matthew Pavlovich, a culinary instructor at Knightdale High School in Wake County, said a major highlight to the program was guest speakers from the college – such as family and consumer sciences instructor Takeda Legrand, Ed.D. and 2024 food science alumna and 2020 Cheatham-White Scholar Alaina Brock – offering insight to CAES’ curriculum and research projects.

“STEAgM allowed me to take a look at some of the technologies being done at the college and at the farm itself, and a lot of the programs offered within family and consumer sciences,” said Pavlovich. “I appreciate the opportunity to take part in the program because, as I teach my students, the majority of people don’t know where their food comes from beyond picking it up at the grocery store. Especially after COVID, it’s important to know how to grow your own food and, more importantly, know what’s in it.”

Katina Williams, an ag science, plant & animal science, and biotech teacher at CC Griffin Middle School, called the program “very helpful to educators” as a pipeline to encourage middle and high school students to seek agricultural and STEM courses and careers.

“The STEAgM program at N.C. A&T is beneficial especially to middle schoolers because they need to know what is offered at an earlier age,” said Williams, a 1997 graduate of CAES. “Most students focus on universities they are familiar with on national television, instead of local universities and even HBCUs.  We need to show students how successful agriculture and STEM- related careers can be.  Students who learn skills in STEAgM at earlier ages will be better prepared for their careers in this ever-growing competitive market.”

Williams also said the program, using talking points from the book We Can’t Talk about That at Work! How to Talk about Race, Religion, Politics, and Other Polarizing Topics, offered insight on safely confronting biases and stereotypes in the workplace.

“Our school is quite diverse; it is so important for educators to understand who we work with how we can model appropriate conversations and manners to our students for their successful futures,” said Williams.

Cynethia Mayhand, a family and consumer sciences teacher at Western Guilford Middle School and former two-time N.C. A&T graduate, said she was “truly educated” during her three-day experience.

“I’m a country girl and grew up on a farm,” said Mayhand. “When I think about agriculture, I mainly apply that to working on the farm. But this program, blending STEM and agriculture together, has opened up a whole different avenue for students. It doesn’t have to be strictly working in a garden; it could be flying drones and monitoring the land remotely or other opportunities with technology, and it’s something I can take back and teach my kids, my colleagues, and my administrators.”