Dakota Allen, VP

The end of the school year…these past few months have been a whirlwind of “lasts” and excitement. It has been hard to go to all of these lasts: my last marching band parade, my last chapter banquet, my last day of school. I never thought these activities would have such a huge impact on my life. That’s the thing about ending a chapter of your life, you look back at all you have done in that chapter and determine how it affected your life.

I am thankful for the opportunities I took advantage of as I look back at my high school career. I have thought a lot about what advice I would give my younger siblings when they reach their high school careers. There are so many opportunities in high school. As FFA members, we have even more opportunities before us. I urge you, when an opportunity presents itself, to seize it, because you never know how that opportunity will affect you. You won’t succeed in every opportunity you pursue, but every failure presents an opportunity to learn. Even this summer, you will be given many opportunities, so take advantage of them. You will not regret it. I hope when it comes time for you to turn to the next chapter of your life, you don’t look back and see missed opportunities.

I am so thankful to have yet another opportunity to serve Missouri FFA as one of your Missouri State Officers. I am excited for this summer, meeting FFA members from across Missouri, helping with Public Speaking Academy and attending my first FFA camp.