Charlie Abee, CAIS, an agriculture technology and irrigation professor at the College of the Sequoias, Tulare, California, received the 2022 Excellence in Education Award. Starting in 2017 with a basic management course, Abee worked with local industry and California State University partners to create a program that meets the need for an entry-level technician while also preparing students for higher levels of education. He also serves on the IA Certification Board.
The Excellence in Education award is a huge honor for me to receive, and I am humbled by those who nominated me. Education is a group setting. You have instructors, students, support staff, administrators and industry partners. My success and the success of our program would not be possible without the amazing students we have had, the hard-working support staff, my administration who supported the development of the program and the irrigation industry who has been with us every step of the way.\
My local area in Tulare County is a critically over drafted subbasin and our industry partners saw the need for trained irrigation technicians. I believe in learning by doing, which is the foundation for our program, from the hands-on education students receive in the classroom to the on-the-job training students receive from the internship program we are focused on learning through experience.
As an educator, my role in smart irrigation and water use efficiency is to learn what the research is telling us and put that knowledge into practical skills that I teach my students. Water is our most precious resource, and I convey that to the students with enthusiasm!
My greatest accomplishment in my teaching career has been the success stories of my students. Teaching at a community college, you get students from all points in their careers, from the incoming high school student to the migrant farm laborer looking to upskill and earn a better wage. Every time I talk to a graduate and hear about the exciting things they are doing in the industry, it’s a very fulfilling experience.
Be a mentor and find a mentor. I have many great mentors in my life, and I try to pay it forward by mentoring my students. This is a great industry, and we can all learn from each other.
Read more about the other 2022 IA awards program recipients in landscape irrigation.
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