I’m a firm believer in taking advantage of every possible opportunity I can get my hands on. A lot of that has to do with also believing that I never know what is going to come along in my life, so if I ever have the chance to do something I like, love, or simply am interested in, I go for it. Similarly, that’s why my parents are currently down south trying to cross off all 50 states on the list of places they’ve traveled, and that’s why I’ve missed almost two full weeks of school in the past month.

You may be thinking (as many of my friends have), “Elizabeth, do you even go to Virginia Tech anymore?” or “How is that possible?” Yes, I’m still a Hokie, and it was possible. That doesn’t mean easy. However, gratefully my professors were all very supportive of my endeavors and worked with me to keep up with my classes. 

So what have I been doing since I got back to the US from my Tanzanian excursion and what has my life been like since I’ve gotten back in Blacksburg? I think an easier question would be what hasn’t my life been like since I’ve been back at school. I’m going to break my adventures up into multiple blogs so it’s not like you’re reading the whole Old Testament at once. Here’s part one.

An all-girls school teaches you a lot about life. My high school experience at NDP was nothing different. I learned a lot about service, leadership, organization, but also the teenage girl’s mind and feelings, how to properly wear a very old but very comfortable uniform, and one of the most memorable- abbrev[iation]s for everything. One of my favorite “abbrevs” is BFC.

If you’re not familiar with “BFC,” it means best friend crush. No, not having a crush on your best friend. Rather it means to want to be best friends with the person you have a BFC on. Our high school, NDP, used this abbreviation on the reg[ular]. There was always that one super cool girl we longed to be best friends with. And you probably know at least one great, intriguing person who you could say you have a BFC on, too. (If you don’t, I think you’re lying. But I won’t tell.)

So my BFCs include some of my actual friends, a few celebrities, lots of motivational speakers, one or two cows, and an Instagram-famous pig. However, after my trip to Louisville, KY from October 28 to November 1^st, my list has grown by about 64,000 people. My last week of October and my Halloween were filled with blue and gold. I was at the National FFA Convention with my fellow VT Agricultural Sciences (very similar to ag education) students promoting Virginia Tech’s agricultural programs at the Career Fair & Expo there.

Going into it, I was expecting to meet a lot of people and seeing a few old friends from back home. What I got out of it, however, was so much more. Not only was the whole expo full of great resources, companies, and organizations, but it was also full of fantastic people. Every single person I talked to was so friendly and everyone wanted to be there. The passion for agriculture and leadership was incomparable to any experience I had before.

I got to see friends from around the country I had made as a dairy princess, MAEF intern, and as a 4-Her. I have known about FFA for years and I have some incredible friends who are FFA members, so the idea of the organization was not new to me. But walking away from Convention, I had a new idea of what FFA was.

I was blown away by how well everything was organized, how everyone was excited to be there, and by the talent among the individuals I got to meet. The entire organization is student-led. The National Officers are at the forefront of the whole thing, and based on what I heard of them during the business-like sessions, they’re all incredible people. The inspirational, driven members aren’t just the National Officers, though, they’re the chapter members, State Officers, advisors, and so on. There’s not one group of people in FFA that isn’t extraordinary, and I wish it didn’t take me this long to figure it out.

I’m so excited about what I learned about FFA at its National Convention this year. It encourages me to continue to work in agricultural education and even urges me to dive deeper into it. It gives me hope about the future of the country in and out of the agricultural industry.

FFA matters. FFA develops students into the leaders we will need to feed the growing population. FFA gives students opportunities to acquire knowledge, make connections, become confident leaders, and to better understand the world. Any organization that accomplishes that whole feat, all while being student-run is an organization that makes an impact, and I’m glad to now see it clearer than ever before. I’m even more honored to be a part of it as a Collegiate FFA member. Thank you FFA for making the world a better place.