From Dream to Wall: A Fair Reminder

It was a hot August afternoon at the Indiana State Fair, and somewhere between handing out putters at the Caddy Shack, answering seemingly obvious questions at the animal wing, and making sure the Farm-to- Fork station was tidy, I was feeling the weight of it all. 

The long days, the nonstop responsibilities, the smiles that sometimes feel forced after hours of meeting new people, and two weeks of a sickness that wouldn’t seem to leave. I was exhausted and starting to wonder if I was really cut out for this. 

Then, in a brief but quiet moment sitting at the Caddy Shack, I gazed up to a familiar spot. There, straight ahead, was a wall that I spent time looking at each summer I worked in the FFA Pavilion: the wall of state officer headshots. I would walk through as a younger member, look up at the smiling faces in jackets just like mine, and think “That’s where I want to be one day.” 

And now I am. 

There was my picture, right next to my newly-found family, and under the word “Leadership” was our team photo; all of us still buzzing with excitement just minutes after we got elected to serve Indiana FFA together. I took a moment to stare in awe. My younger self would lose her mind. I was now standing in the very shoes I once admired from afar. 

How cool is that? 

In that moment, everything clicked. The long days, the hard work—it was all worth it. Not just because my face is on the wall, but because of what that wall represents: leadership, service, and a love for FFA that’s bigger than any one moment of exhaustion. So I took a deep breath, smiled to myself, and sat up straight, ready to keep showing up—for myself, my team, and every young member who might walk by that wall and think, “Someday, I want to be up there too.” 

With gratitude, 

Erianna Vela 

2025-2026 Indiana FFA State Northern Region Vice President