My participation as an ag ambassador with the Nebraska Ag Sack Lunch Program supports my ability to create and deliver engaging and effective CTE instruction. I was able to engage with youth and educate them in a meaningful and student-centered way by connecting them to food, fiber, and fuel agricultural concepts. My experience as an ag ambassador allowed me to strengthen my student-centered approaches by connecting student interactions with sack lunches to agricultural concepts. I was able to inform students about how beef cattle, dairy, swine, poultry, corn, wheat, and soybeans contribute to their daily lives. For example, students have the opportunity to choose a ham, beef, or turkey sandwich, which I then connected to one of the agricultural areas I addressed as the ag ambassador. I also made it student-centered by asking them inquiry-based questions to spark their curiosity about the role agriculture plays in Nebraska. In addition, my participation as an ag ambassador helps strengthen my instruction with the opportunity to understand how to make learning meaningful. As an ag ambassador, I taught 4th graders about livestock and crops in Nebraska through a 30-minute presentation and connected concepts back to the items in their sack lunches. An example is teaching about the beef cattle industry and connecting it to those who chose beef sandwiches for their lunches. This helped make it meaningful because students can connect it to something tangible in front of them. The ag ambassador role increased my ability to engage with student leaders and create authentic learning experiences.

My experience as an orientation leader with New Student Enrollment at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln demonstrates my ability to be an effective CTE instructor. This specific role helped strengthen my ability to create a positive learning environment and was focused on student engagement. First, I was able to learn how to create a positive learning environment by fostering inclusivity and collaboration among incoming students and families. The New Student Enrollment Program effectively prepared me on how to establish a welcoming and supportive environment through a semester-long course. I learned how to effectively communicate my journey at the university to ensure students felt prepared and valued as new students at the university. In addition, this experience shows my ability to make learning student-centered because I was able to interact with incoming freshmen and families by delivering an engaging presentation called a LOAH (Life of a Husker). This interactive experience was tailored to help students navigate their transition to university life through inquiry-based experiences and discussions. I was able to lead groups of students and encourage active participation, which allowed students to take ownership of their learning. Overall, this experience reflects my commitment to being an engaging and effective instructor. Being an orientation leader strengthened my ability to engage with students with different learning styles and will help me as a CTE instructor by gaining varied instructional delivery styles.