Written by Jordan Richardson, sophomore
Big Orange Give was successful for the ALEC department last year. With the help of our donors, we raised over $6,800 to support ALEC students. Big Orange Give has helped our agriculture education students take the edTPA evaluation and has assisted students in attending conferences, such as the TN FFA Alumni Convention and the Association for Communication Excellence National Conference.
The annual Tennessee FFA Alumni Convention is where FFA alumni members from across the state gather to exchange ideas, learn from others, and construct ways to better accomplish the purpose of FFA. Convention highlights include collegiate contests, local program workshops, networking, and an alumni benefit auction. Twelve students from UT attended the convention where they competed against other collegiate FFA chapters in job interview, quiz bowl, and public speaking.
UT ALEC student, Harrison Falcofsky, explains what it means to him to be able to attend the FFA Alumni Convention with funds from Big Orange Give. “It’s exciting to be able to represent UTK at Alumni Convention this weekend and develop skills I can use for my future as well as meet future employers and coworkers that have similar interests as me. I’m extremely grateful for the donors who gave during Big Orange Give for supporting students like me to be future change-makers in the agricultural industries.”
Big Orange Give funds are also being used to send ALEC students to the Association for Communication Excellence (ACE) conference this summer in Asheville, North Carolina. Here, students will present their research posters and network with other agriculture communication faculty and students who attend the conference.
Finally, Big Orange Give donations are helping our undergraduate agriculture education students to complete and submit their edTPA portfolio. To receive a teaching license in Tennessee, teacher candidates are required to submit an edTPA portfolio with detailed lesson plans, recorded lessons, and creative assessments. Big Orange Give funds help us reimburse students for the fees associated with edTPA. We hope that reducing this financial barrier will make it easier for our students to enter the workforce as fully licensed agriculture teachers. Our department is thankful to our supporters and donors who have invested in our students, and we look forward to continuing to provide our students the opportunities they need for success.
