Going The Distance

Over spring break, I had the incredible opportunity to spend a day in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. While there, my family and I were able to visit the iconic Rocky statue at the base of the legendary steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which appear prominently in the Rocky movies. As we ran up the steps and took pictures with the statue, I was reminded of the first movie, which I had watched for the first time just a few days earlier.
For those unfamiliar with the film, Rocky Balboa gets the opportunity to box against one of the greatest fighters of the time. As he prepares, he decides that—win or lose—he wants to do one thing: go the distance. That means fighting through every round without being knocked out. This is no easy task—continuing to take punch after punch without bowing out or hitting the mat takes extreme resilience.
Rocky's story has been an inspiration for years, and I believe it still holds a valuable lesson for us today. In life, we will face struggles and hardships, taking plenty of metaphorical punches along the way. But resilience is crucial because, as Rocky says, “Every champion was once a contender who refused to give up.”
We can achieve success when we make the choice to keep fighting, keep trying, and keep working—to go the distance. Whether we are facing self-doubt, maintaining relationships, or staying true to our values, it’s important to push forward no matter how many times we get discouraged. As the engraving on the Rocky statue reminds us: “It’s not about how hard you hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward—that’s how winning is done.”

Go the Distance,
Ethan Wolheter
Indiana FFA State President

Woods to Words

Recently, I had the chance to spend some time with the South Newton FFA Chapter during their retreat at the center. After a great dinner together, someone had the idea to kick off a round of ChatGPT campfire stories—and of course, most of them ended up involving mysterious adventures in the woods.

Inspired by the stories, a few members decided they actually wanted to head into the woods themselves. So, a few of us state officers thought it would be the perfect opportunity to take a hike out to the Vesper Bowl—a special spot at the center where reflections are often held during conferences.

The thing about the Vesper Bowl is... it’s deep in the woods. And, well, none of us state officers could quite remember exactly where it was. After a few false alarms of, “This is it!”—only to realize it definitely wasn’t—it’s safe to say some of the members started to question if the Vesper Bowl was even real.

But eventually, we found it.

And once we got there, something powerful happened. We started talking. Then, one by one, members began standing up and giving impromptu speeches—completely unplanned, but full of heart. Watching them speak, I was reminded just how incredible our members truly are. They had the courage to stand up in front of their peers and share words that meant something.

One speech, in particular, has stuck with me. A member shared a simple, yet meaningful message: "Life is like a box of chocolates. Sometimes you're going to get the caramel ones—and maybe you don't like caramel. But there's always more chocolate left that you will like."

They used this metaphor to describe not just life, but FFA. You might try a CDE or LDE, change something about your SAE, or attend a conference—and it might not be your favorite. But that doesn’t mean the whole experience is ruined. You just have to keep going, keep exploring, and eventually, you’ll find what you love.

So, think of your FFA journey as a box of chocolates. Even if one piece isn’t your favorite, the next one might surprise you.

Life is like a box of chocolates,

Garrett Bolin

State Sentinel

Women In Agriculture

For the longest time, I hated the phrase “Women in Agriculture”. I hated the idea of categorizing a minority. I felt like the phrase was an excuse or a plea for attention. Growing up on a farm, with two older brothers, I was expected to do the same amount of work as any boy on the farm. It did not matter if we were bailing straw, changing boxes on the planter, or picking up rocks in the field. If my brothers could do it, I could as well. 

The expression “Women in Agriculture” never made sense to me. Why should women be told to look up to other women? Why not just look up to a man? After all, in the production agricultural industry, men dominate leadership positions. Most farmers are men. Most seed salesmen are men. Most judges at a livestock show are men. It wasn’t until my sophomore year of high school that I understood the importance of the term “Women in Agriculture”.

At my county fair that year, the beef cattle judge was a woman. A woman who spoke smoothly and confidently as she delivered reasons for a class. A woman who dressed fashionably but modestly. She was the embodiment of the perfect balance of feminine and confident.  

I knew my dream of one day judging a county fair was possible but unlikely. Seeing a woman judge my county fair made my dream seem real. It felt like an attainable reality. 

The woman who judged my county fair was Marissa Streitmatter. I am very fortunate to call Marissa a friend, mentor, and role model. As I have gotten to know her more, I admire many qualities Marissa possesses, like her talent for evaluating livestock and fitting cattle. What I admire most about her is Marissa’s ability to balance her family and professional life. Marissa is a leader and very successful in her professional life, all while being a loving mother and wife.

I realized the phrase “Women in Agriculture” is a testament that anything can become a reality. The agricultural industry is male-dominated; however, that does not mean that girls cannot hold the same positions or qualities. Women can be farmers, livestock fitters, welders, engineers, and CEO’s. When we look hard enough, we can find women who already occupy those positions.

These women are happy to mentor young ladies as they understand what it is like to feel alone in an industry they love. I challenge you to find a mentor or a mentee and break down any barriers. Women belong in agriculture.

Forever and always supporting women in agriculture,

Stephanie Berenda

Indiana FFA State Northern Region Vice President

Perfect Little Things

“Most of life is just junk. It's filler. And then, there are these moments when all the randomness turns into something perfect.” - The Map of Tiny Perfect Things. This quote is from one of my all-time favorite movies! If you’ve never watched The Map of Tiny Perfect Things, it is about two people stuck in a time loop. They repeat the same day over and over again, visiting new spots in their town that typically go unnoticed but are practically perfect. Since watching this movie, I have started to appreciate the perfect little things in life. I’ve cherished everything from move-in day at the state officer house, to ranking random flavors of soda (dirt, grass, etc.), to watching scary movies late at night with the team. While I just started focusing on the perfect little things this year, I can’t help but reflect on previous years and see the perfect little things. Looking at some of the biggest moments in my life, I can now see the amazing memories in both the best and worst moments. Some of my best moments are only made better by noticing the little things. When I won my county’s master showmanship, it was not the winning that was so special; it was celebrating with my family afterward and getting to mentor future winners. But it is not only in the good times that I have learned to focus on the little things. I must also force myself to focus on the little things even during the hard times. The week I won master showmanship was also the week that my mother broke her leg. I found myself working through my fair week without the person who had helped me train all of my animals that summer. While it was hard, I can look back and appreciate the perfect little things that happened at the same time. That week, I got a banner for the first time ever with my cattle, was in the grand drive for cattle in both breeding and market, and most importantly, was surrounded by my fair family, who did anything they could to help me. 4-H members and parents in all barns helped my family out by making sure I could get my animals ready for show day, and the livestock directors did everything they could to ensure I was still able to do my best in the show ring. Focusing on the good doesn’t mean ignoring the hard moments – it means choosing to focus on the beauty that can still exist within them. The perfect little things are often small and easily overlooked, but when we take the time to see them, the good gets better. I can honestly say that when you focus on the good, the good does get better. So take time to notice the perfect little things; write them down, share them, celebrate them, and if at all possible, create them. Life may not be perfect or easy, but there’s magic in the moments we often overlook.