Recent alumnus uses global lessons to start new agricultural education program

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Brandon Bixler, a 2024 graduate of Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, has launched a new agricultural and environmental sciences program in the Career and Technical Education Department at McCaskey High School in Lancaster.

Since graduation, Bixler has taught foundation science courses to ninth grade students, using every spare moment to plan the new program. He worked to bring crucial components to life, including curriculum planning, course scope and sequence development, assembling an occupational advisory committee made up of community members, applying for grants, and creating the documentation needed to receive a charter from the National FFA Organization and program approval from the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

“This is all brand new to our school, and there is a lot of work that goes into building a program like this from the ground up,” Bixler said. “A lot of these tasks take place behind the scenes and are on top of the instructional planning and in-classroom teaching that often comes to mind when we think of the work teachers do.”

In June, at the annual Pennsylvania FFA State Convention, Bixler saw his efforts pay off when he and several students joined McCaskey administrators on stage to receive their official charter. With the charter in hand, he said he is eager to offer the first agricultural and environmental science courses during the 2025-26 school year.

“We are so excited to have Brandon at McCaskey High School as its agriculture education teacher and FFA adviser,” said Mike Brammer, executive director of the Pennsylvania FFA Association. “Brandon has worked to make a difference. At McCaskey, he is doing that with new students and a new program.”

Bixler, who holds a bachelor’s degree from Penn State in agricultural and extension education with a minor in international agriculture, said he plans to make a difference in his classroom and local community by leaning into his educational and immersive experiences as a Penn State student. He said his role at McCaskey, paired with his globally centered education, positions him and the program to tackle pressing issues.

McCaskey High School is an International Baccalaureate World School, providing Bixler with the opportunity to teach a high-level environmental systems and societies class in which students explore topics such as sustainable development, global competence and food security.

He said it is rewarding to empower students to make community impacts using course content and their real-world experiences.

As a Penn State student, Bixler was an contributor to the college’s Global Teach Ag Network (GTAN) as an undergraduate operations intern, a researcher working with Nepalese science teachers and a participant in the Global Orientation to Agricultural Learning program. Through these programs, he said he learned how to teach topics such as global competence and food security through student teaching immersions and participation in the World Food Prize initiative.

“Working with Brandon during his time as an undergraduate student, it was obvious that there was something different about him, both from his natural ability and his drive to make the world a better place,” said Thomas Gabel, program manager of the Global Teach Ag Network.

“Through his internship with the GTAN, he went above and beyond in trying to invest not only in his peers but also in educators across the globe, so it makes sense that this translated into the McCaskey community.”

Bixler said he is grateful for the GTAN team, noting, “They invested in me and allowed me to be part of meaningful projects. I’m a better educator now because of the opportunities I had to work alongside master-class educators from around the world as an undergraduate intern.”

Bixler plans to continue his engagement with the Global Teach Ag Network through its Educators Empowering Educators program. He recently was selected as a member of the program’s second cohort. He will work alongside 11 other educators to help facilitate the 2026 Global Ag Literacy Summit, a virtual conference for agricultural educators focusing on curriculum and food security.

He said he also intends to begin a master’s degree program focusing on global perspectives in teaching, curriculum and learning environments to further connect his students to global solutions.