2024-2025

Matthew Lakey
Aug 09 2024

Success Looks Different for Everyone

2024-2025, Matthew Lakey
89

Matthew Lakey

I was recently asked by a member at week one of Missouri FFA Camp what they needed to do to become most successful. When I heard this question, I was automatically taken back to my freshman year when I was first beginning my FFA journey. As a freshman, I was determined that I was going to be the best at everything I did. My first creed speaking contest rolls around, I say the creed and await the results. I heard the results and not only did I not win, I didn’t even place in the top five. To say I was disappointed was a major understatement. I was questioning whether or not I wanted to stay in FFA just because I had not succeeded in my eyes. However, while I thought I failed, the work ethic I developed because of my failure was the true success I experienced in this scenario. 

 

During my sophomore year of high school, I had told myself I wanted to participate in the Livestock Judging CDE. That year, my team was lucky enough to qualify for the state contest and were more than ecstatic to get to go to state. The day of the state contest rolls around, we carefully pick our placings, say our reasons and head back to the hotel after the contest. When we heard the results, we were crushed. We had worked so incredibly hard all season long in order to meet our goal at state, and we thought we had simply failed. While this could have been seen as a failure, the success we experienced was getting to cheer other members from our chapter on. While we may have not been able to meet our goal, we were able to watch other members achieve theirs.  

 

FFA members, as you start this year off strong and take every opportunity you can, always remember that success looks different for each and every person.

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Carmen Wilburn
Aug 01 2024

Leading With Love

2024-2025, Carmen Wilburn
88

Carmen Wilburn

“I am not the loudest leader in the room but I will work hard, always put my best foot forward, and make sure everyone feels seen.” 

I remember saying these exact words during officer interviews. I’ve never been the one to raise my voice and take over a room, which is often the image we see when we think of leadership. This stigma was always in the back of my mind throughout high school and left me questioning if I was the best person for the job. 

One of my core values has always been: actions speak louder than words. I am not a loud bubbly person, and I will not pretend to be. At the beginning of my senior year I remember having a conversation with my mom about being a leader for my teammates. I remember her saying, “Be the leader you needed when you were them.” This advice from my mom made me realize that leadership doesn’t always require a loud voice or a commanding presence. Instead, it’s about embodying the qualities you want to see in others and creating an environment where people feel valued and supported.

As the year progressed I found myself assessing my teams. Our basketball and softball teams were inexperienced and low on numbers and confidence. Rather than stepping in and being the leader that takes over and yells, I embraced my quiet nature and was the leader who cared and supported. While we didn’t have winning seasons we created confidence and atmospheres that exceeded our expectations. As I move forward, I carry this lesson with me: being a leader doesn’t mean changing who you are to fit a mold. I can confidently say that embracing my quieter, more personal approach helped me become the leader I’ve always aspired to be. 

You can be a leader, too. Step up and just be you. 

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Andi Belt, President
Aug 01 2024

Be the best version of you, not the perfect version

2024-2025, Andi Belt
93

Andi Belt, President

I can safely say I have always held myself to huge standards and high expectations. The bar has always been set incredibly high, and I strived to meet those goals.  Naturally, my competitive nature pushed me to be a perfectionist, and a little scared of failure. You can imagine my uneasiness about trying the Ag Mechanics contest my senior year. Not only was it an extremely challenging contest, but I also didn’t know the first thing about tractor parts, was known for welding my tip shut, and had never heard of sweating copper.

The first few practice contests left me feeling like a complete failure. I somehow managed to burn my hand holding copper tubing and shock myself on a circuit. Knowing that giving up wasn’t an option in my mind, I reached out to my advisors and teammates for extra help. As I began to put more effort and time into it, by the end I began to see a lot of growth in myself. At the final practice contest of the year, the same girl who burned and shocked herself, placed high individual overall. 

I’m still not an Ag Mech pro, but what I did learn is how silly trying to be perfect is. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still a very competitive person – and that’s okay, but we can’t let our competitiveness ruin the experiences, take the fun out of the process, and make perfection our end goal. As long as you’re challenging yourself, trying new things, and learning along the way – then that’s a win in my book. Being the best possible version of yourself is way more important than being the perfect version!

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Kade Jenkins
Jul 17 2024

E + R = O

2024-2025, Kade Jenkins
88

Kade Jenkins

The night of October 29, 2021, I got my first ever varsity win for football. For my football fans out there, you probably realize there were a lot of games played before that night. My sophomore year, I got to start on the offensive line.  I was ecstatic, only to come up 1-10 on the year.

After these events, my coaches decided they needed a way to inspire not only our football program, but the school as a whole. They wanted a way to further develop leaders on and off the field. So they created a new program called Climb Academy (we were the mountaineers, get it?). The premise of the group was to have coach and student-led inspirations to motivate our students. One of the first lessons I remember learning was E + R = O. 

Event + Response = Outcome

For those of you who have had events in your lives go awry or even go perfect, you can see how this applies. However, I have a substitute for the equation: Event + Response = Opportunity. 

As FFA members, most of us will take the opportunity to compete in CDEs and LDEs. I think I speak for everyone who has participated in a career or leadership development event when I say they do not always go the way you want. Every time you compete, you will have an outcome, and that outcome will always generate an opportunity. The opportunity may be to continue to prove yourself, to learn from your mistakes for the next time or even fall short of your goals and move on to the next. As you continue to go throughout the next year, look for the events in your life that stand out. Do your best to give a good response. Look for the opportunities opened to you and take them while you have them. If you do that, you’re likely to have a good outcome.

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Madilynn Wehmeyer
Jul 16 2024

Leave Knowing You Loved Well

2024-2025, Madilynn Wehmeyer
87

Madilynn Wehmeyer

As I was leaving Camp Rising Sun for the last time, I had time to reflect on the experiences I had with all the people I met. I was given the opportunity to meet so many fellow FFA members from all over the state and make connections with them, learning about their chapters, their SAEs and even their personal stories. All of these opportunities made me think of the goal that the Week 4 state officers had set for ourselves going into our final week of FFA Camp – “Love them well.” Fast forward to the end of the week, there I am sitting with Don Koonce, a long time speaker at Camp Rising Sun. He is telling us about how someone very close to him had left him with the advice of making sure you leave this world knowing that you loved well. 

 

 I look back to the times in my life when I loved well and the times I didn’t. Whether it is loving ourselves and embracing who we are, loving others through the service we are able to give or loving others in accepting their differences. The word “love” has so much more meaning than we give it credit for. FFA Camp is just one of the many examples of opportunities in our FFA journeys we have the chance to love not only ourselves by trying new things or stepping out of our comfort zone to better ourselves, but also to love others by making friends and overcoming differences. My word of advice to you is to love in all things you do. You never know where it may take you, from growing as a person to growing the connections you have. FFA members, as you go through your journey in your blue jacket and even your life, leave knowing you loved well. 

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Gentrie Davis, VP
Jul 16 2024

Don’t Forget Your Village

2024-2025, Gentrie Davis
92

Gentrie Davis, VP

I have been blessed with a supportive family and community that has pushed me to take opportunities in and out of agriculture. These opportunities include serving my community through FFA, showing equine and being a young entrepreneur. These have all contributed to my lifestyle and shaped me into the person I am today. 

In 2022, I was blessed with the opportunity to travel the country with my family to follow a personal dream, winning the national year end championship title with my horse. Showing in the American Ranch Horse Association (ARHA) previously that year, I was not planning to go for such a big title. However, that soon changed after attending the ARHA World Show. I remember getting back from The World Show thinking I could achieve this goal, but there is no way I could balance school and work while being gone every week to compete. After much consideration with the help of family, teachers and friends, I took the leap of faith. While pursuing this achievement, I had supporters near and far. I had my family cheering me on at each show, friends at home keeping our operations running, mentors guiding me and teachers working remotely. When stepping into this opportunity, I was so fixated on myself and trying to win I never thought about the others around me or those working behind the scenes. Looking back, if it were not for my supporters, I would have likely had a very different outcome.

The people who contribute to our village – our support group – are the pillars that bind our strength and inspiration. From family members who provide unwavering love and guidance to friends who offer companionship and understanding, each person plays a crucial role in our journeys. Ag teachers and mentors impart wisdom and encouragement, pushing us to achieve our best. Local community members and leaders offer support and opportunities that broaden horizons and add value to our experiences. When brought together, they offer support and empowerment, helping us to navigate life’s challenges and celebrate triumphs with confidence and resilience. FFA members, don’t forget those who contribute to your village.

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Kennedy Heil
Jun 28 2024

86,400 Seconds

2024-2025, Kennedy Heil
87

Kennedy Heil

As the Convention doors came to a close for the final time this year, I was faced with an overwhelming bout of emotion. Knowing that my time in the blue corduroy was not yet over, these emotions came as a surprise to me. What was expected to be a joyful celebration of the year ahead of me turned into the most gut-wrenching feelings I couldn’t find the means to shake. 

 

At the time, I passed it off for feelings that were so significant due to a lack of sleep and high levels of adrenaline throughout the previous week. However, it wasn’t until the following Monday when I returned back to school that I realized why these feelings were so prominent.

 

The emotions I was feeling – worry, doubt and hesitation – were all part of a bigger factor – time. Early on in my Missouri FFA State Officer journey, Ms. Briscoe, Missouri FFA Executive Secretary, offered me a stand out statement. She said, “You only get 86,400 seconds of every day. Are you going to choose to waste them?” 

 

Missouri FFA members, we are living a life that offers us the opportunity to be faced with the battle of time. Emotions of worry, doubt and hesitation are only sustainable if you choose to waste your seconds. In the upcoming year, I encourage each of you to use your seconds to form new connections, learn a new skill and make a move so daring you can confidently say you didn’t waste a single second.

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Mikaela Rojas, 1st Vice President
Jun 25 2024

The Lessons I Learned in Leaving

2024-2025, Mikaela Rojas
85

Mikaela Rojas

I have never been one for change. When I was little, a substitute teacher at school would throw off my day and a change in lunch plans frustrated me to no end. As a terribly indecisive person, change can be a tough pill to swallow once I have my heart set on something. This month I graduated high school, which is easily one of the biggest changes I have ever undergone. 

At the beginning of the year, I was terrified of leaving the people I loved, the places I was familiar with, and the routine I had developed. It reminded me of my grandfather and his journey in agriculture. At 19, Grandpa left his home in Costa Rica knowing no English to attend Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. There, he learned English while completing his degree in animal science. Through his stories, grandpa taught me there is power in embracing change. 

Graduation has come and gone, and I am no longer afraid of the constant change that continues to occur throughout my life. If you take a step out of your comfort zone, you may realize that the process of changing is not scary at all. It is a beautiful time of growth and development, whether that be learning from mistakes or adjusting to an unfamiliar situation. I will have strength in knowing that the lessons I learned in leaving will live on in my heart. 

FFA members, you are only limiting yourself by being afraid of change. You can manage the last-minute script revision before a chapter banquet. You can present that speech your advisor has been pushing you to try. You most definitely can use change to practice acceptance and adaptability and become the best version of yourself possible. 

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Annabelle Carlisle
Jun 25 2024

Experiences are What You Make of Your Opportunities

2024-2025, Annabelle Carlisle
79

Annabelle Carlisle

We have all heard at some point from a mentor that your experiences are what you make of your opportunities. While I have heard this saying so many times, I never really understood its meaning. Everyone gains different experiences just based on their perspective. I found this so true when I joined this amazing organization.

Where I grew up in Hornersville, Missouri, it’s a small rural farming community. I grew up looking at soybeans, cotton, rice, watermelons and cantaloupes. While I may have lived in a farming community, I didn’t grow up on a farm. As I joined FFA my freshman year, I didn’t think that this was an organization where I would fit in. Everyone around me had some kind of experience farming. Little did I know that this is where I would find my place. I had to work hard to gain the knowledge needed to be successful within this organization. I went to many different leadership opportunities, camps and competitions. All of these aspects played a role in my experience within the organization.

You see, so many times I get caught up in trying to have the same experiences as others. You can never have the exact same experience because you are going to have a different perspective. Your experiences are what you make of them. If you go out of your comfort zone to experience new opportunities, you will gain an experience of a lifetime. Continue to look for chances to change your experience through your own perspective. 

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Alexis Mullins
Jun 25 2024

Do Something Different

2024-2025, Alexis Mullins
79

“If you always do what you always did, you’ll always get what you always got.” Over the past few months, I have found so much truth in these 15 words by Henry Ford. All too often, we find ourselves walking the same path day by day, completing the same routine week by week. I found myself living by the saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” While sometimes this saying is great, in other scenarios it holds us back from reaching new heights. 

 

I have a routine I walk through every day during the summer. It pretty much consists of me feeding animals, cleaning up after my animals and working animals. I had done this routine every summer for as long as I could remember, and I never thought I could or should try something different. When I was offered the opportunity to make a trip to Nebraska to shadow a horse trainer of a different discipline, my first thought was that there was no way I could leave my routine for two weeks. I had convinced myself that my routine is all I could do with my summer freedom. It took some convincing, but after discussing all of the doors this opportunity would open, I took a two-week break from my routine to expand my skills and grow my knowledge. During those two weeks I learned new things and had a great time. Looking back, I’m so glad I took the chance and did something different. 

 

This year, I have the opportunity to attend my first ever summer camp! I am so very excited to experience the camp life and make memories with members from across the state. As someone who has found myself stuck walking the same path day by day, I challenge you to find something new and incorporate it into your life this summer!

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