Flats, heels, boots, cowboy hats, blue and gold corduroy everywhere you can see — students have arrived at the 91st National FFA Convention & Expo. The sea of blue has rolled in to Indianapolis and they are loving it. Students, advisers, and chaperones have come near and far to attend the convention. With so many vendors, colleges, and workshops it can be overwhelming to do everything you want to in such a short amount of time. One chapter is taking advantage of every opportunity they can.
From the blue sea of students, a group from Connecticut had traveled over 13 hours just to get to Indianapolis. Robert, Katelyn, and Abby — two first-time attendees and the third student returning for her second year, leading the group — came with a group of 10 students and four chaperones to attend the convention. The students were roaming the expo with eager eyes, taking in all they could.
The two seniors in the group were taking advantage of visiting with colleges that provide options for the fields they are interested in. With an interest in animal nutrition and pre-vet, the two were benefiting from having major colleges all in one place. Many colleges around the country had booths on display of their agriculture department and what made them unique from a student’s perspective. Katelyn said, “We have been keeping our eye out for potential colleges that look like they have what we are interested in.”
The group already had Thursday’s activities circled and ready to go. Abby said, “We are looking forward to many of the workshops including the AgCulture: A Global Ag Adventure workshop. We are also interested in many of the leadership workshops, especially So You Think You Can Lead.”
The Connecticut group left last Friday to make a few stops along the way. They scheduled visits with a few farms and did a tour of Niagara Falls to make the most of their time. From visiting a pumpkin farm where they breed pumpkins to make new hybrids to a dairy farm, the students were able to see a vast majority of farms and how important agriculture is in every state.
Just one. Just one opportunity to make the most of your time while at the convention. Day one is complete and was the first day for the expo and workshops. Students are encouraged to take the opportunities to go to leadership workshops and bring back information to your chapter that will better it as a whole. Also, find new friends and be vulnerable to new opportunities, it may just be the best thing you do.
