How FFA Has Impacted My Life

Living in a community that encourages the local youth to grow into success, I am blessed to be a part of an FFA chapter that has built a tremendous part of who I am today. For a large portion of this coun

For a large portion of this country, people may not discover their capabilities until they are well out of college. However, when I was just a bright-eyed middle school student looking for a place in my school, the Ainsworth FFA Chapter called out to me. It started with an exploratory class into agriculture.

Getting lost on the way to the ag facility, I had no idea that I was about to walk into one of my favorite and most impactful classes of my middle school career. It was during this time that I was roped onto a junior parliamentary procedure team, a team that, at that time, I was too shy to compete on.

It was difficult for me. I came to school every morning at 7:15 to discuss how to intertwine agriculture and debate into a way that would make our team competitive. It was through this initial experience that I found myself becoming more vocal, not only in this competition but in the field of agriculture as well.

I started asking my dad to let me bottlefeed the calves in our barn. I was put to work at our chapter garden by learning about plant systems. Class discussions and life advice unified together in a way that has sincerely held tight onto me and my values to this day. Joining FFA officially as a freshman has only cracked me further out of my shell. The life experiences I have had throughout FFA range from entrepreneurship to understanding the importance of teamwork and communication, and even all the way to the differences between grasses and forbs (very important!).

The point is, FFA has been the key in propelling me into positions that although were uncomfortable for me at one point in my life, I now can say I’m ready for. Through this amazing chapter, I relish being surrounded by people who love the organization of FFA as much as I do.