Ag class changed her life

I never knew walking into the Ag shop was going to change my life for good. I was uncertain about my future and my love for agriculture. The thought of cultivation of the soil or growing crops never intrigued me. I was unsure of where I would go next.

Over the past three years, FFA has grown to become one of my main priorities. Without FFA I wouldn't be a fourth of the person I am today. I wouldn't trade the hundreds of memories and special moments spent with my fellow FFA members. These past few years have made the biggest impact on my life. My freshman year I was nervous to attend monthly meetings for the fear of being alone. I attended almost every meeting possible.

My sophomore year I became the club historian. I was in charge of taking pictures and making the year end scrapbook. This year, my junior year, I am the vice president. When I first became apart of FFA I never knew how close of a family we were going to become. From FFA Officer Retreats to National Convention, the officer team has become the most welcoming and loving group in Pea Ridge High School. This year my fellow FFA officers and I made the lengthy trip to Indianapolis, Ind., for National Convention. This trip will be one that I will never forget. We were able to drive down to Louisville, Ken., home of the Kentucky Derby. Mr. (Perry) Mason (teacher) was able to get us a behind the scenes tour of Churchill Downs. We were able to watch the horses warm up and get ready to practice.

While we were in Kentucky, we were also able to tour the Louisville Slugger Museum. They took us through the warehouse and we were able to watch the process of the bat being made. FFA has not only increased my interest in agriculture but it has taught many valuable life lessons on the way. Such as, make sure you have the right date on the calendar for events. I will never let Mr. Mason live that one down! Being a week early for Arkansas/Oklahoma State Fair was quite the experience.

FFA has taught me to become a better leader and public speaker. From giving reasons in judging competitions to talking during meetings, I have drastically grown in public speaking. One of the biggest things I will take from FFA is teamwork. If it wasn't for the officers around you dedicated to working together you would get nowhere. There are countless hours spent after school beginning and preparing things for events. If we weren't able to work together, nothing would get done. Teamwork is the most important thing. If I didn't fall in love with FFA like I did, there's no telling where I would be at today. Because of FFA, I have started looking into AG majors for college. I want to be able to say FFA changed my life, now I get to change others because of it.

Megan CrawfordPRHS junior, PRHS FFA vice president

Community on 02/22/2017