About Me: Baylor Shunk

    

    Hello Everyone! My name is Baylor Shunk, and I am a junior here at Penn State University Park in Agriculture and Extension Education. I am from a small town just outside of State College known as Centre Hall. I went to nearby Penns Valley High School and graduated in 2019. I have one younger brother who is currently a sophomore in high school. I participated in wrestling, FFA, and National Honors Society while I was in school. 

    I grew up on our family farm in Penns Valley that my dad started when he was fresh out of high school. We grow many crops such as wheat, rye, oats, corn, and green beans. However our biggest source of income comes from making and selling hay to the local farms all over Penns Valley. All together, we farm around 600 acres, and outside of the summer months, my dad runs it all on his own. I grew up helping my dad every second that I wasn't in school, and I've grown to love farming and genuinely believe I could go home a run our farm with the knowledge that I have now. This is where my passion for agriculture comes from, the long days on the farm taking care of cattle with my dad or baling hay with my younger brother. 



    I discovered that I wanted to go in the direction of teaching whenever I started showing and teaching wrestling technique to younger kids at our elementary practices. While in high school, I wrestled for the Penns Valley Rams. I placed in the PA state tournament twice during my high school career. Wrestling in high school brought a lot of adversity into my life which has helped shape my life tremendously. I decided to continue my wrestling career at Penn State, who has some of the best wrestlers in the world, most notably my roommate Aaron Brooks. Balancing the woprload of school with the responsibilities that I have with wrestling at the best school in the country is not easy to do, and results in a lot of stress at times. However, I know that it will be worth the extra effort and make my time at college well worth it. 

    I am excited for my future as an agriculture educator, and hopefully a wrestling coach as well! I love inspiring younger generations, so I think this will be a great fit for me personally and professionally. I cant wait to share more about myself and my experiences in the near future!

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