Owen Neely, 1st VP
My SAE consists of raising a small herd of registered Brangus cattle. For the past several years, I have shown my cattle across the state of Missouri, as well as small shows in Northwest Arkansas. This all started in the summer of 2018 when I purchased my first Brangus show heifer. In addition to my beef entrepreneurship SAE, I work for my Uncle Adam as his straw-hauling coordinator. Every summer, it is my responsibility to find workers to load several thousand bales of straw into trailers, which my uncle sells to hardware stores across Southwest Missouri.
The reason I wanted to serve as a state officer was that FFA had always been a home for me, and I want it to be a home for our members. Home doesn’t have to be a physical place; it can also be the people we meet. Several people made me feel like FFA was my home, namely Kaitlin Kleiboeker and Jessica Janorschke. I met both of these individuals at Public Speaking Institute in January 2020. As I sat a few chairs away from a big crowd of FFA members, Kaitlin walked up and sat next to me, even though we had never met before. Although I don’t remember the topic of our conversation, I immediately felt more at home knowing someone else at the conference. A few hours later, I met Jessica while she was facilitating as a state officer. I remember her being so compassionate and inclusive as she talked about getting involved in FFA, and I knew from that moment on that I wanted to be a state officer. Their example of kindness and inclusion has inspired me in many ways since that conference three years ago.
I would like to leave a legacy of never giving up and always putting forth your full effort to whatever you are doing.
After graduating from Lockwood High School, I plan on attending the University of Missouri to study biochemistry in the College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources. Furthermore, I would love to participate in undergraduate research and study abroad. After undergraduate school, I hope to attend medical school with the goal of becoming a rural healthcare physician.
I love Taylor Swift (especially her albums folklore and 1989), dark roast coffee, and using the word “slay.”
My biggest piece of advice for FFA members is to learn something new every day. In high school and beyond, we have so many opportunities to expand our knowledge, both in and out of the classroom. It can be reading a new book that interests you, trying a new contest team, or having a conversation with a classmate. Sometimes it can be intimidating to step outside of your comfort zone to gain a new perspective, but it is always worth it in the long run. There is so much to learn in life, so take every opportunity at your disposal to learn something new.