Whitney, Dorm Parent and Stewardship Teacher, was raised by educators and agriculturists, and has a deep love for both working with students and the agriculture industry. At 9 years old, Whitney showed her first livestock animal in her county show, and it was there that her love for livestock animals and agriculture was born. While growing up, she was able to move around and live in many different parts of Texas, and has always enjoyed getting to explore new places and meet new people. The opportunity to share her love for learning and agriculture led her to Oliverian.

While a pre-teen and teenager, Whitney showed various livestock projects in shows all around Texas, and developed interests in agriculture production and animal welfare. This led her to becoming active in her local 4-H and FFA Chapters, where she was able to foster her love for agriculture and eventually led to her pursuing a degree in agriculture education. After one week of student teaching, she was hooked and knew that working with students is exactly what she was meant to do.

Whitney graduated from Texas Tech University with her Bachelors of Science in Interdisciplinary Agriculture and teacher certification in 2015, and has spent the last 9 years as an Agriculture Science Teacher and FFA Advisor in Texas. She has taught livestock, wildlife, small animal, equine, floral design, horticulture, and various other agriculture classes throughout her career. In addition to teaching, she has also spent the last 9 years coaching students in various FFA competitions, assisting with livestock show projects, training public speakers, and traveling with students all over Texas to participate in numerous FFA events.

In her free time, Whitney can be found reading, going to concerts, watching sports, walking her dog, or spending time with any animals she can find. If you hear any loud noises on a Saturday in the fall, don’t worry, it’s probably just her yelling at a Texas Tech football game on TV.

What do you love most about Oliverian?

I love that Oliverian gives students a chance to learn and grow in a unique environment. The opportunity to engage in hands-on learning, combined with small class sizes, really gives each student the chance to maximize their learning potential and find their passions. The entire staff is on a mission to make sure that our students are set up for success in their post-high school lives.

What motivates you to work with kids?

As someone who moved around quite a bit and was often the “new kid”, I know how intimidating school can be. It is my hope that I can use my personal experiences to help motivate and inspire this generation of learners, as well as to realize their potential and embrace their uniqueness. Being able to teach others about the importance of agriculture is also a bonus. I believe that it is important to know where our food, clothing, and so many other necessary products come from, as well as the hard work and dedication it takes for those finished projects to end up in our homes. I truly enjoy watching my students learn, grow, and find what interests them.