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

Life is a Highway

Cars, in my opinion, is one of the best movies ever. This movie describes my journey in FFA almost perfectly. Lightning McQueen is overconfident at first. You can especially see this during the first race of the film. Lightning McQueen had such a lead, but his overconfidence led to him tying the race instead of winning. I had the same mindset going into district officer interviews, overconfidence. Just like Lightning, I was disappointed in the result, as I had not been slated as a district officer. Now think about Lightning and how he got another setback in terms of having to stay in Radiator Springs. Instead of enjoying his time in Radiator Springs, all he could think about was getting out. I, just like Lightning, had another setback. This setback came at the 94th Indiana FFA State Convention, I wanted to become the Section III Director. I was dead set on being elected, just like Lightning was dead set on getting to his next race. When I didn't get elected, I was disappointed. I did not enjoy my time at the convention and see the support I had around me. Lightning’s mentor got him out of his rut just as my mentor, Mr. Dunn, helped me through the year. I spent my entire senior year feeling like an underdog, as I wasn't enough, just like how Lightning, as a rookie, would have been seen as an underdog against veterans like The King and Chick Hicks. In the final race of the film, Lightning might not win, but it shows that he is there to stay. In between the events of Cars and Cars 2, Lightning wins 4 Piston Cups. This was his victory and it to me can be compared to my victory of being elected as a state officer. Just like how Lightning’s journey was like a highway, with straightaways, curves, and turns, so was my journey in FFA. So if you ever feel like the underdog, just know that no matter what setbacks you experience, you can overcome them and still achieve your goals. Kachow, Garrett Bolin Indiana FFA State Sentinel