Kaylee Lewis – VP

FFA members, our future is before us. But what does that future hold? In the future, we could be wearing scrubs, a business suit, chaps or a number of other outfits. However, one outfit in particular that rests in my mind as important is overalls. You might be wondering why that is. I see overalls as hard work.

Thomas Edison once said, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” Through this statement, Thomas Edison is suggesting that we are all given the same opportunities and each of us have what we feel is a support system, which has laid the groundwork for our foundation, in turn making us strong and resilient; stitching us into the overall individuals we are today. With that, we have a choice—work hard or get passed by.

In a world of deep divide, whether you are talking politics, race, religion, culture or movements – I believe we are all missing a great point. We are all human beings that put our overalls on one leg at a time. No one story is better or more important than another. What separates us is the slight edge and the small steps we take each day to move forward. You see, any one of us has the opportunity to start a movement, but not everyone is willing to put in the work. We can talk about things, ideas and differences, but the question still remains: what are we going to do? We can continue to rant and rage, or we can become educated, agree to disagree, find common ground with others, and ultimately, put the work in to make opportunities turn into success stories. So, let’s not rest on our laurels. Let’s hike up our overalls and get to work.

In the end, we need to remember that the only place where results come before work is in the dictionary. Today’s world is competitive. Everyone here wants to be successful in life. The way to make it happen is to put in the work just like Thomas Edison suggests. It is a funny thing, the harder I work, the luckier I get. We can apply this concept to any FFA CDE, LDE, classroom activity, or just plain old life in general. Overalls may or may not be our current fashion choice, but none of us will ever outgrow their meaning!