Exploring National Convention

Take in every single moment. This is something I have learned to be vitally important throughout my life, and it is more crucial than ever at National Convention. At National Convention, you have the unique opportunity to meet members from all over the United States. Not only do you meet fellow members, but inside the expo hall, you also have the chance to connect with various vendors and stakeholders.

One of my favorite experiences at National Convention was heading to the expo hall, especially to the Culvers’ booth for a free scoop of custard. It may seem like a small thing, but it brought so many members together, and there’s always a conversation waiting to be started in line. You can forge many new connections during National Convention, and these can turn into long-lasting relationships. Reflecting on my time with my chapter, I realize that I didn’t take in every moment and missed opportunities to make those connections.

So, what can you expect at National Convention? You can anticipate an amazing time in general sessions, where you’ll hear from keynote speakers like Temple Grandin, listen to the retiring addresses of national officers, and celebrate award winners. Another highlight is the shopping mall; if you’re anything like me, you’ll always leave the store with something. Similar to the mall, you can expect to come out of the expo hall with some goodies, and the best part is that many things in the expo hall are FREE! Can you believe that?

Additionally, within the same area as the expo hall is the FFA mega store, which is the place to be for the latest FFA fashion. One last thing: no matter what your plans are during National Convention, if you can do one thing, make it a priority to connect with members from across the nation.

Explore Convention,

Garrett Bolin 

Indiana FFA State Sentinel

Serving After the Blue Jacket

    The weight of the blue corduroy jacket brings a comforting sense to all members who wear it. A feeling that they belong in this organization. The jacket serves as a compass on their journey of membership. 

    The first FFA jacket I ever wore belonged to my brother Austin. I remember zipping up the jacket for the first time as it hugged me. I knew this jacket marked the start of my journey in FFA. I knew this jacket meant I had big shoes to fill.

    Austin acquired many leadership positions during his time in FFA as he led with others’ best interests at heart. Austin’s leadership tactics are that of a shepherd. The shepherd stands back while his lambs wander and discover for themselves. The lambs fail to realize the shepherd has been guiding them the entire time. A good shepherd stays with his lamb throughout the night enduring the same cold weather. He is not any better than those who depend on his guidance. 

    Austin was a servant leader to all Indiana FFA members as he served as Indiana FFA State Treasurer from 2018-2019. His passion for serving others did not cease when he hung up his jacket. Austin has since joined the United States National Guard. He is now a Ranger tabbed First Lieutenant, serving as an Infantry Platoon Leader. He is currently deployed exemplifying his servant leadership.

    I am very fortunate to watch Austin inspire countless people. Whether Austin was in the corduroy jacket or serving our country, my brother brings others to their fullest potential. Austin never expects any praise for his efforts as he has the modesty of a shepherd. He only wants to make a difference.

    Service does not end with your FFA membership. Service is a dedication to the world around you. FFA is only a stepping stone that marks the start of your commitment to service. Let your jacket guide you throughout your career in FFA. Let your experiences and values of our organization guide you in your next chapter of life.

    As I continue to look up to my older brother, I hope to be half the leader he is. Austin lives to serve just like the FFA motto suggests. A life of service is a life of purpose.

Living to serve,

Stephanie Berenda

Indiana FFA Northern Region Vice President

Running on Empty

        Far too often my to-do list and thoughts turn from “Create this, write that, contact them, build a relationship with them” to “be better, improve more” and keep going until it sounds like “you're not doing enough, you’re not doing well enough, you’re not enough”. The thoughts circle and spiral until you don’t remember where you started, where you are, or why you’re there. The thoughts drain you like nothing else. Before you know it only a few thoughts have brought you to a feeling of nothing and no one around. Empty.

        Maybe this isn’t your exact thought process, but I’m sure at one point or another you have felt this emptiness. I know I have. 

        I remember the expression that everyone has a cup that fills or empties based on their actions. If you are constantly going, going, gone then your cup will empty quickly; if you take time to do what you enjoy your cup will slowly fill back up. I’m someone who enjoys working, too much at times; this leads me to not realizing when I am getting burned out until it is far too late. Many days I work first thing in the morning through dinner and then after dinner, I either work more or watch some TV while thinking about everything I could or should be doing. This only empties my cup further or if I can successfully take my mind off work while watching TV, then my cup stays at a stalemate. To refill my cup I must prioritize the things I genuinely enjoy doing. For me this is crafting; from crocheting to pottery to basketry, anything I can get my hands on to create something out of seemingly nothing fills my cup up. The feeling of creative freedom where I don’t have to do anything, but that I get to. My cup empties quickly but fills very slowly. Emptying a cup is quick and takes little energy, filling it up, however, that takes time and effort. 

        One of my favorite ways to use my cup of energy is to fill up the cups of those around me. Oftentimes for me, this isn’t buying them a gift, but it’s spending time with them. Asking them questions and caring about what they say in return. It’s finding the moment to sit down and chat about anything, no matter how mundane it may seem at the time. These moments, no matter how small or large, are the moments that stick with me the most.

Finding the balance between emptying and filling my cup is one of the hardest lessons I’ve had to learn. You see, if I only empty my cup then I’m running on fumes trying to make it seem like I’m full and filling others. But if I were to only fill my cup then I would get nothing done and wouldn’t be able to fill up those around me. That balance is key to enjoying life and truly finding joy. A joy that comes with everything you do and is evident to everyone around you. Emptiness robs people of their joy; joy replaces emptiness. Your joy can fill your feelings of emptiness and can rub off on others so they feel less alone.

What fills your cup?

Christina Caldwell

Indiana FFA State Secretary

National Blue For You

Why does National FFA make custom jackets? Why not stick to the standard sizing? Although this may seem like a silly question, I frequently find myself asking it when it comes to ordering new jackets. My answer is so everyone knows that they can fit in FFA.

 I know that one of the biggest hurdles I faced as a young FFA member, and still do, is where do I fit in? Not only do I not come from an agriculture background, but I love dressing up, the color pink, and competing in pageants. How could I fit in? We as humans love to put everyone and everything into boxes and for some reason, the “typical” FFA member is a mystery everyone has been trying to solve for decades. Still, we haven’t been able to and we will never be able to. Why? In 1988, when we changed the name from Future Farmers of America to the National FFA Organization, we broke the barrier of what a “typical” FFA member looks like, therefore leaving the mystery forever unsolved. 

If we all turned and looked into a mirror right now we all would look like a “typical” FFA member because a “typical” member can be whoever you want it to be. For me, it’s a girl who loves competing in FFA events and advocating for agriculture, but also has never grown up with ties to agriculture, loves to wear pink and compete in pageants, and is a little too obsessed with Western fashion for my own good. For you, the “typical” member might be completely different, but that’s the beauty of an inclusive organization, isn’t it? To include? 

You see, National FFA knows exactly what they are doing when they are making a tailored jacket to fit each and every member perfectly. They hope that we can wear our blue corduroy with pride and know that this organization will help to guide and grow us. So, next time you slip on that corduroy jacket, just know you belong and that National Blue was made specifically for you. 

Your “Typical” FFA Member, 

Sienna Alexander

Indiana FFA State Reporter

Changing of Seasons

        Every year the leaves start falling around the same time to signify that autumn is on its way. And every year my excitement for this season grows more than the last. With the change of seasons, there are pumpkins, warm sweaters, and a cool brisk breeze that always puts a smile on my face. This season never fails to disappoint. It is the perfect time for our annual fall ride.

        Fall break would roll around for my siblings and I so that meant only one thing. We would have to clean out the camper, get the horses ready, and start packing every bit of old clothes we could find. This was our tradition, going horse camping at Brown County State Park. My family and I would go out for several hours into the woods on horseback each day, then come back to the campground where we would always have the best meals over an open fire. I would be wrapped up in my flannel listening to all the stories the adults had to tell. Nothing else mattered when we were trapped in the woods with no cell service. 

My brothers and I would always argue about who was going to feed and water the horses each morning and night. I somehow got out of it most of the time. Although something would always go wrong while on this week-long trip, I sit back and remember how many memories I have made while being parked in a campground with my family and a couple of old horses. 

Now that it is time for the seasons to change again, the seasons of my family getting together have also changed. The excitement of fall break has dwindled, the chaos of getting everything ready to go camping is gone, and the feeling of all of us sitting around a campfire late at night telling stories is out of my sight. Our lives are like seasons, always changing with time. Sometimes it’s hard to let go of certain seasons in life, but how exciting is it to start a new one?

Changing seasons,

Kyatalin Baker

Indiana FFA State Treasurer

Oh, The Places You'll Go

One of my favorite pastimes has always been traveling; from visiting Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida a few more times than I would like to admit to attending the Final Four in Phoenix, Arizona to cheer on my Boilermakers, it is pretty safe to say that I love traveling. Visiting new locations allows you to see how other places operate differently than you are used to. Despite the geographical or cultural differences throughout our nation and world, it is fascinating to see how we each use our diverse and unique backgrounds to contribute something meaningful and impactful to our society. As the corn begins to turn gold and the days get slightly shorter, the State Officers are finally on the road getting to do what we love most: interacting with countless Indiana FFA members! These past two weeks, we have each had a schedule filled to the brim with Chapter Visits and District Kickoffs. In fact, over the past two weeks, I have traveled over 1,400 miles to meet with many of you all and establish my own connections throughout the state.  If I am being completely honest, I was fairly nervous walking into my first chapter visit at Norwell High School last week. Fortunately, the Norwell FFA Chapter made me feel right at home and allowed me to be myself. Later on that day, I attended the Jay County FFA Chapter. Before this visit, I parked in the front row of the parking lot located next to the office. At the closing of my workshop at the end of the day, however, a school administrator came over the intercom and announced to the whole school that “if you have a Black Chevy Equinox with a Purdue plate parked in the front row, you need to move immediately in order to clear the bus lane.” While this situation was quite embarrassing for me and I was slightly worried that my car would be towed, I learned to laugh about it and find joy in the moment.  My Chapter Visit and District Kickoff experiences have no doubt been short of entertaining and will provide me with a plethora of stories to reflect upon. However, my favorite part of these experiences has no doubt been having the opportunity to see how each chapter and district navigates its programming a little differently. These unique characteristics that each individual chapter brings to the table are what make our organization so diverse and original. Without each chapter combining its distinctive attributes, the Indiana FFA Organization would lack individuality and originality. Thus, by continuing to promote these differences within our organization, we are truly able to cultivate a more interesting, inclusive place for everyone.  I will forever be grateful for and cherish the moments that I have spent in countless classrooms across the state and those that I will continue to create throughout the year. By participating in these visits, I have been exposed to the diversity that each chapter and community possesses. If I did not have the opportunity to travel throughout the state, I would never truly know the extent to which our organization is so unique. Thus, I have been counting my blessings and genuinely trying to take advantage of the places I’ll go! Taking in the places I’ll go, Cale Williams Indiana FFA State Southern Region Vice President

Just Keep Skiing

Summertime is full of fun, to say the least. For me, it was the time spent at the lake that made my summers. I enjoy every part of the warm days at my grandparents' lakehouse, whether that means swimming, kayaking, fishing, tubing, skiing or just going for a plain old pontoon ride. 

I really only wanted to swim when I was younger, but then I overcame my fear of the big tall raft. I enjoyed playing on the raft and then eventually got over being scared of going tubing behind the speedboat. At this point, I basically had done everything I felt I needed to on the water. It turns out I still hadn’t gotten the hang of waterskiing. Now I had attempted on several occasions to get up skiing but never had accomplished it, I failed again and again and again. I finally, after numerous tries, succeeded and got up skiing. I had achieved the goal and overcame the challenge, but I didn’t really like skiing. So I decided that since I had done it a couple of times I could say that I could ski and go back to swimming and tubing. Of course, as my parents usually do, my parents made me get back out there and ski. I remember telling my mom that I didn’t even like skiing and that it was no fun at all, and wondering why I couldn't stick with nearly flying a tube 5 feet in the air as the main thing I did on the lake. My mom responded, “If you keep at it you’ll probably end up liking skiing more than tubing”. Let’s just say that moms are always right and after much perseverance and improving my skills, I now enjoy skiing more, but not by much.

I say this all to make the point that sometimes we will try things in life that we don’t like and oftentimes we fall into the trap of saying to ourselves “Well I tried it but I didn’t like so I don’t need to do it anymore”, even when if we just give it another shot or keep at it there is a chance that we could really enjoy it. As the seasons change and summer closes, keep an open mind when it comes to new things, whether that be a school club, sport, or FFA contest, because even if you don’t enjoy it at first, it may be like water skiing for me, and you may end up liking it.

Just keep Skiing,

Ethan Wolheter

Indiana FFA State President