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