FFA

“I am never going to wear that,” my thirteen-year-old self proclaimed with a wrinkled nose. No, unfortunately I wasn’t talking about some hideous piece of 80’s clothing out of my mother’s closet.

Oh, this is embarrassing.

I was talking about her old FFA jacket.

And yes, looking back, I’m enormously ashamed. Actually, I’m cringing as I write this. So why did I just admit to that? Because I felt the need to show you how much work I needed. This is dedicated to FFA and those people who grounded me and showed me the way.

My fourteen-year-old self was sure she wasn’t about to take an agriculture class. My parents had different plans.

Thankfully, with the help of my parents and FFA advisor, my attitude made some progress over the course of high school. Step #1 was getting me into one of those blue corduroy jackets! Then, through my experiences at National Convention, with my SAEs, in an agribusiness class and with the feeling of pain after reading a TIME magazine article, I fell in love. With FFA. With my family’s farm. With the agriculture industry.

I received my State Degree the summer after I graduated. Since then, my FFA jacket has been retired to my closet. But someday in the future, I’ll be pulling it out to show my kids. Let’s hope they will have more sense than I did.

Update: Since this was originally blogged during FFA Week 2012, I’ve had the opportunity to speak with past and present FFA members at the National FFA Convention, Illinois Farm Bureau Youth Leadership Conference and was recently featured on the cover of FFA’s New Horizons Magazine. I’m looking forward to a lifetime of giving back and encouraging FFA members the way I was encouraged.