FFA: The Best Travel Agent Ever

FFA: The Best Travel Agent Ever

     Traveling has been on my mind recently as we just traveled to South Africa through the International Leadership Seminar for State Officers. As I have been thinking about this, I realized that FFA is truly the best travel agent in existence. The following is a list of some of the big places that FFA has taken me.

1. Twin Cities
     This destination would end up being a very popular destination for me through my years in FFA. My first trip FFA trip was to the State Convention during my 8th grade year with one of my good friends and our Advisor. This location will soon have another significance I travel to the University of Minnesota campus to help put on convention and give my retiring address for the 87th Minnesota FFA Convention.

2. Hackensack, MN
     Hackensack will forever hold an important place in my heart. The summer of my 9th grade year, a six hour bus ride with what would soon be a bus load of my closest friends, brought me to this middle of nowhere camp, Deep Portage Conservation Reserve. This would be the first of my 7 trips to Hackensack, all of which were just as great as that first one.

3. Countless Rural MN Towns
     CDE competitions, camps, regional chapter visits, meetings, and state chapter visits are just a few of the FFA activities that have brought me to the many small Minnesota towns across the state. Getting to learn more about people across Minnesota has been, and will continue to be, a valuable opportunity.

4. Indianapolis, IN
     One of the first times FFA brought me out of state was to the state of Indiana in the great town of Indianapolis. During the fall of my 9th grade year, I was given the opportunity to see the scale of FFA at a national level.  Here I was amazed at how I felt connected to the other 60,000 FFA members present that I had never met before.

5. Louisville, KY
     FFA brought me back to National Convention a total of five times, but the location moved to Louisville for the most recent three. I was able to travel to Louisville for both the National Dairy Cattle Evaluation event and to serve as a delegate for the state of Minnesota.

6. The British Isles
     My first international travel experience was also brought to me through FFA. After competing in Louisville and placing second as a team in Dairy Cattle Evaluation, we had the opportunity to travel to Scotland, England, and Ireland for a two week trip. I was able to gain an international perspective on the agricultural industry.

7. Iowa
     FFA brought me to Iowa in two aspects. One was for our National Leadership Conference for State Officers last summer where we were able to receive leadership training and get to know state officers from five other states. The second is that I followed the passion for agriculture I gained in FFA to study agricultural engineering at Iowa State University.

8. Washington DC
     Over this past New Year's, FFA brought me to our nation’s capital where we were able to see the monuments before starting the training for our travels through the International Leadership Seminar for State Officers.

9. South Africa
     South Africa was the most recent trip that FFA has brought me on, and it was truly amazing. Having the opportunity to learn about their agriculture and culture was eye opening as well as seeing all of the sights. One of my biggest takeaways from this trip was the friendships I formed with the 74 other State Officers that traveled will us and learning through them more about American agriculture.

10. Everywhere else…
     Even though FFA will soon stop taking me directly to all these great places, it will continue to be a part of me wherever I go. Though these experiences, FFA has provided me with the skills and knowledge to travel on my own and be successful doing so. It has also sparked a passion in me to travel and learn more about my destination, my home, and myself. I cannot wait to see where I go next. These are the reasons why FFA is truly the best travel agent.

Where will FFA take you?

Stationed by the Emblem of Washington,