Blue jackets crowd the Indiana Convention Center as Texas High Future Farmers of America officers prepare for the upcoming events at their annual national convention in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The National FFA Convention serves as an opportunity for FFA members around the country to advance their skills in multiple categories while also providing officers with many opportunities to bond with one another.
“The National FFA Convention is where FFA members from across the United States come together,” FFA advisor James Skelton said. “ [They] compete in career development, leadership, and speaking events, and do the business of the national organization.”
FFA teaches students about many different branches of agriculture along with many business opportunities, and it helps members develop leadership skills while stressing the importance of family. This convention allows FFA officers to bond closely as a family and experience new things together.
“I think the trip helped the team grow together by just creating a stronger bond,” vice president Jenna Tyler said. “We really got to know each other and our lives outside of school, and it was like connecting as a family, and that’s what FFA is, connecting as a family and growing and [getting to] know each other.”
After participating in a variety of workshops and walking back and forth all day, the team took a special day off to visit Louisville, Kentucky and enjoy time together.
“[During the convention], we also had a fun day where we went to Louisville, Kentucky, and went to Churchill Downs and really had fun around town and everything,” Tyler said. “Then, we drove back to Indianapolis for the convention.”
This trip marked the first national convention Texas High School’s FFA attended in a long time, and opened the opportunity for more trips in the future.
“The trip meant a lot to me, especially being a senior,” secretary Mackenzie White said. “It showed me how many people were in FFA and the importance of FFA and how you can go outside [of it], it’s not just about farms and agriculture.”
