WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Three Pennsylvania College of Technology educators presented at two recent conferences hosted simultaneously by the Pennsylvania State Education Association at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center.
Kaysey L. Beury, coordinator of student success solutions, and Jennifer R. Wahl, instructor in social sciences, delivered presentations at the second annual Pennsylvania Educators Rising Conference. Craig A. Miller, professor of history/political science and department head of social sciences and humanities, presented a workshop with Wahl at the 2025 Student Pennsylvania State Education Association (SPSEA) Conference & Convention.
Both conferences seek to inspire the next generation of teachers. Educators Rising, a national program, helps cultivate high school students’ interest in education as a career path. The SPSEA conference is attended by college students pursuing education majors.
Beury’s session for high school students was titled “Will You Be a First-Generation College Student? The First-Gen Survival Guide.” She discussed how the transition to college can be difficult, especially when students are the first members of their families to enter higher education. Her presentation offered advice and resources to help first-generation students navigate the academic, financial and social aspects of campus life.
Wahl delivered “Issues to be Aware of in Your Future Career as an Educator: What You Should Know About Being an Educator.” She outlined issues in contemporary K-12 classrooms. The high school participants examined individual issues in small groups and shared their findings in a collective discussion moderated by Wahl.
Wahl, who was named 2018 Pennsylvania State Teacher of the Year when she was a high school educator, also participated in a Pennsylvania State Teacher of the Year panel with five others who have received that honor. The panelists answered the aspiring educators’ questions.
Wahl also served as a judge for the Educators Rising Moment speeches, delivered by students from across the state, including a competitor from Williamsport Area High School.
In a SPSEA session for college students, Miller and Wahl presented a session titled “Understanding Your Future Contract and Responsibilities Through Scenarios: Avoid these career-killing landmines in your first few years of teaching.” Their workshop focused on the transition from being a pre-service educator to a full-time professional, and why it is important to grasp the differences. Students role-played administrators and teachers, considering the priorities and agendas of each through hypothetical scenarios that could occur in the first three years of teaching.
Beury assists Penn College students in the Michael J. Hudock Sr. Center for Academic Excellence. A former high school English teacher, she holds a master’s degree in higher education with a concentration in student engagement from Penn State and two bachelor’s degrees from Commonwealth University-Lock Haven — one in secondary education and teaching (English) and the other in English (writing). She is a graduate of Leadership Lycoming’s Class of 2025.
Wahl teaches world history, psychology and sociology courses at Penn College. She earned a master’s degree in educational leadership from Penn State and a bachelor’s degree in history from Cabrini University.
Miller, who serves as the chief reader for the World History: Modern Advanced Placement exam, teaches world history, constitutional history, Native American history and international relations courses. He holds a doctoral degree in Indigenous history, history of the Atlantic world, and constitutional and legal history from the University of Buffalo, where he also earned a master’s degree in colonial history. He received his bachelor’s degree in history from SUNY Geneseo.
To learn more about social sciences and humanities courses and other educational offerings within Penn College’s School of Business, Arts & Sciences, call 570-327-4521.
Penn College is a national leader in applied technology education. Visit pct.edu, email admissions@pct.edu or call toll-free at 800-367-9222 for more information.