This year, Amherst FFA sent 20 students to the 97th Annual National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis, Indiana. We started our adventure on Tuesday, October 22, and several students were excited to talk about their experiences and how the convention impacted them in different ways.
Nora Lewis is a junior who is also a second-year member of the Amherst FFA chapter. When asked what pushed her to be a part of the FFA, she did not hesitate to remind me: “Faith, you told me to.”
In my experience in the FFA, I have met a lot of people from various states. Nora was very excited that she met some members from Atlanta, Georgia. The most memorable part of the convention for Nora was the farm tour in Fair Oaks, Indiana.
Next I talked to Natalie Carlson, a fourth-year member of FFA. Natalie said in seventh grade her friends wanted to join and she figured it would be a good opportunity to join a club with friends. Unfortunately, Natalie was a little under the weather during the national convention this year so she didn’t get much of an opportunity to meet new people. However, she still had a good time.
“The most memorable thing from nationals this year was going to see Megan Maroney,” Natalie said.
Senior Sam Stucynski had a bit of a different experience at this year’s convention. Sam got to represent not only the Amherst FFA chapter but also the state of Wisconsin — along with Marcus Kennedy, Porter Stucynski, and Jacob Kirsling — as they were chosen to compete in the Agronomy Career Development Event competition.
“My parents have definitely played a big role in [encouraging] me to join FFA.,” Sam said. “Growing up in a farming family, agriculture has been a major staple in my life. FFA allows me to pursue my interests while having fun doing it.”
Sam stated that competing at the national convention was his most memorable FFA experience. He also said that it still feels surreal to him that they won the state agronomy contest and were able to compete at the national level because this accomplishment is very rare for most FFA members.
Needless to say, the 97th National FFA Convention and expo was a success for so many different reasons. We should be so proud of our FFA members who are trying to bring home ideas to improve our chapter and our community along with those who were able to compete at the National level.
