Ag Journeys
Amelia Wyckoff
Hometown: State College, PA
Major: Community, Environment, and Development. Geography.
Minor: International Agriculture
Clubs: Cofounder and president of CED club; EMS student council, Lion Ambassadors (service events and homecoming), GEOG club, Trilogy
Good at: Videography, hiking, spending time outdoors, cultivating special experiences, planning, and usually making the plan happen
Penn State was kind of my playground growing up.
“My mom is a Penn State professor. My grandfather was an academic here too. I grew up steps from campus. If I was walking across campus on a hot summer day, I knew all the buildings to cut through to soak up some AC. When I picked Penn State, it was with eyes wide open.”
“Creativity isn’t an option, it’s a requirement.”
CED in a nutshell.
“As a first-year Penn Stater I led the university’s effort to break the world record for the most plants watered at one time. Sounds silly, right? It was a logistics and planning leviathan. I logged hundreds of hours planning and networking with media groups, Penn State physical plant leaders, maintenance crews, the Penn State Bakery, and countless other people and organizations. Details like acquiring a ridiculous number of watering cans. The result? We broke the record. More importantly, we motivated and connected people across the community through hard work and inspiration. CED in a nutshell.”
Get a little bit uncomfortable.
“Exploring international development and economics, for example, were not 'in my lane' exactly. But I'm glad I pushed myself to take coursework to broaden my set of skills. Push yourself. Get a little bit uncomfortable. Add a different perspective so you come out of college better prepared.”
Denmark did not disappoint.
“Biking through Denmark was a unique way to learn about urban planning, sustainability, and all the programs and policies that support a strong biking culture. You can easily see why Copenhagen has a reputation as one of the happiest cities in the world. Visiting this city allowed me to see policies and environmental urban planning skills I learn in the classroom already being applied.”
Learning to listen.
“I used to think it was all about speaking out, but CED showed me that listening is even more important. In the classroom, out with populations, during small peer-to-peer group work, when conducting research with different audiences, or anywhere for that matter.”
Take CED 275 with Tim!
“CED 275— The Community, Environment, and Development Professional Seminar with Dr. Tim Kelsey—is a sort of a crash course intro to CED. Classes were about networking with and hearing from CED alumni. From Wall Street to down-in-the-weeds science professionals to advocacy groups. When I discovered what real CED graduates were doing, I was hooked. Oh, and it’s not Dr. Kelsey. Call him Tim.”
