FFA Member of the Week: A Member and a Mentor

Name: Kyla Mauk
FFA Chapter: Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted FFA
Grade in School: 11th grade
Favorite Color:  Purple
Fun Fact:  She loves ALL country music--new and old!  Kyla especially loves Goerge Strait and Jason Aldean

One of Kyla's best friends was definitely looking out for her when she brought her to her first FFA meeting in the 8th grade.  From the moment the meeting concluded, Kyla knew that this organization she had just been introduced to would become a HUGE part of her life.  With more encouragement from her advisors and friends, she immersed herself in FFA and is always working toward reaching her full potential!

In addition to serving as a chapter officer, Kyla has recently been elected to be a member of the Region IV Officer team as Vice President.  She has also taken advantage of a variety of Career Developments.  Because of her hard work and dedication to FFA, she has been a part of 4 state winning teams including Novice Parliamentary, Ag Communications, Floriculture, and Food Science.  Additionally, she has been on the national winning Food Science team, placing 3rd individually.  Last year she also competed at nationals on the Floriculture team which placed 2nd.  Kyla has thoroughly enjoyed leadership development activities!  Especially the state leadership camps and Ag Policy Bootcamp.

While all of these accomplishments are important, the thing that makes Kyla unique is her genuine enthusiasm!  It is her enthusiasm for FFA that has helped her find success as well as make a positive impact on her chapter.

Kyla's welcoming nature and positive attitude is essential to bringing new members into the organization.  She makes younger members aware of the opportunities available and encourages them to "just try it!"  If she hadn't "just tried it," she would have never become the person that she is today.  Knowing that FFA can be a life changing organization, Kyla does everything she to welcome new people to new opportunities.

A mentor is someone that opens doors for other people, guides them in creating their path to success, and lends a friendly, helping hand without expecting anything in return.  Kyla has been a mentor to the members of the Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted FFA Chapter and has shown them that hard work, genuine passion, and self motivation are all it takes to accomplish something great.

In the future, Kyla looks forward to possibly attending South Dakota State University majoring in Agricultural Education or Dairy Science.

Congratulations to Kyla Mauk on being the MN FFA Member of the Week!