For a certain AHS student, FFA is more than just a club — it’s a way of life.

Junior Faith Sopa is the Secretary of the Amherst chapter of FFA. Faith has been in FFA from 7th through 11th grade, but in her heart she says she has been part of FFA her whole life. With the involvement of her family, she was able to pursue her love of FFA.

So what is FFA all about?

“FFA is a student-led organization that promotes public speaking, quality leadership, agriculture education, and advocacy for the agriculture industry,” Faith said. “FFA is a huge organization that anyone can be part of, even if you don’t have a direct connection to agriculture. It’s not just for the farm kids.”

During her time in FFA, Faith has had opportunities to travel and meet other FFA members around the state and the country who have similar goals and interests. She also looks forward to achieving as much as she can.

“I have a few goals in FFA,” Faith said. “I compete in speaking events and I would love to experience going to state for one of those. I also filled out a proficiency application showcasing my family’s sunflower production and am hoping to go to state and maybe even nationals for that project. I’m also working on running for the state FFA office during my freshman year of college. This would be an incredible experience.”

Faith has many memories during her years of being in FFA, but one stands out.

“My favorite memory in FFA is going to my Next Gen: Food Products and Processing conference last summer,” Faith said. “I met members from all over the United States and built relationships with them that will last a lifetime. A lot of these members I still talk to on a daily basis. There were only 60 members there, so in those four days we all felt like family.”

Thanks to her enthusiasm and focus, Faith has accomplished more than the normal FFA member. She is a two-time sectional qualifier for the Discussion Meet competition, and this year she is advancing to sectionals for extemporaneous speaking, too.

“This last summer I traveled to Minneapolis for a conference focusing on food and processing. I even had the chance to go to Washington D.C. for a leadership conference. I would say my biggest accomplishment though is being able to talk with non FFA members about the importance of agriculture education and FFA. We can all make a difference promoting agriculture and our small-scale farmers.”

If you’re thinking FFA sounds interesting but aren’t sure if you should join, Faith has some advice.

“Do it! FFA gives you the opportunity to push yourself out of your comfort zone. It is scary at first but once you’re in it, you will love it. The skills FFA has to offer students will be used for a lifetime, whether you are going into an agriculture-related career or not.

“The opportunities FFA has afforded me are a wide variety,” Faith added. “Simply going to the State convention and being able to work with the public relations team was a great opportunity to get my name out there, which will help when I run for state office. Similarly, going to D.C. allowed me to see how other state FFA programs differ from Wisconsin, which can help me find ways we can improve our local chapter along with our state association.”