Madisen Plunkert

Madisen Plunkert graduated from Penn State in 2018 with a B.S. in Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management. She then worked as an environmental educator, naturalist, and greenhouse assistant manager before pursuing a master's in Education, Development, and Community Engagement at Penn State. There, she worked as a graduate teaching assistant and taught several sections as the lead instructor of undergraduate courses, where she strove to make lessons approachable, engaging, and applicable. Her thesis research focused on principals' perceptions of implementing agricultural literacy in public elementary and middle schools, an initiative that aims to cultivate agriculturally literate youth who are capable of making informed decisions regarding agriculture. Madisen is now beginning her PhD in Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education at Virginia Tech, where she will work with Dr. Niewolny and the Center for Food Systems and Community Transformation. Her research interests lie in the communal significance of local foods and cuisine and the relationship between these foods and community identity and development.