UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — “Food insecurity anywhere is a moral failure everywhere.”
This phrase, spoken by humanitarian chef José Andrés during a keynote at October’s World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogue, became a guiding mantra for five students in Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences who traveled to Des Moines, Iowa, for a week-long immersion in global food security.
Wesley Doll, Grace McCarty, Samantha Angelucci, Keira Mull and Anna Shaffer — all agricultural and extension education majors — participated as part of the Global Orientation to Agricultural Learning (GOALs) program, an initiative of the Global Teach Ag Network. The GOALs program is designed to connect students from universities across the country to explore global food issues and develop educational tools for agriscience classrooms.
“This experience lasted just a week, but it has life-changing and career-changing implications,” said Doll, of Myerstown, who is pursuing minors in agronomy and international agriculture. “We’ll think about this for days, weeks and months to come.”
The University of Idaho, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Alcorn State University and Tuskegee University are among the other universities represented in the GOALs program. Each student participated in weekly online class sessions in preparation for the World Food Prize event.
“The GOALs program brings together students from different universities to understand food security and global competence, then apply that knowledge to help educators worldwide,” said Mull, of Dillsburg. “We’re learning how to address food insecurity and translate those lessons into meaningful teaching resources.”
At the World Food Prize event, the students engaged in roundtable discussions, workshops, meet-and-greets, and ceremonies. They met Jeanie Borlaug Laube, chair of the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative and daughter of World Food Prize founder Norman Borlaug, who gave the students her personal perspective on global food initiatives.
“Being in the same space with leaders who are making real change was incredible,” said Shaffer, of McAlisterville, who is pursuing a minor in international agriculture. “Our ideas were valued, and it reinforced that we can make a difference as future educators.”
The students also connected with 2025 World Food Prize Laureate Mariangela Hungria, former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Ghana Vice President Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, former U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia Kenneth Quinn, and others shaping global food security.
Back at Penn State, the students are turning their experiences into action. With guidance from Mia Sullivan, a graduate student and teacher in residence for the Global Teach Ag Network, students are creating lesson plans and resources for other educators to integrate global food security lessons into their classrooms.
“Mia prepared us to make the most of this experience and reminds us that as educators, we can be agents of real change,” said Angelucci, of New Castle, who is pursuing a minor in wildlife and fisheries science.
The students said they hope their work will help to bridge the gap between global food security advocacy and local agricultural education.
“The week opened our eyes to the scale of the challenge, but also to the opportunities we have to contribute,” said McCarty, of Lancaster, who is studying for a minor in international agriculture. “Now it’s our responsibility to take what we’ve learned and bring it to classrooms, communities, and the industry after graduation.”
For more information about the GOALs program or the Global Teach Ag Network, visit globalteachagnetwork.psu.edu/goals-program or contact Daniel Foster, associate professor and co-founder of the Global Teach Ag Network, at foster@psu.edu.