College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Academics

As a freshman in high school, I walked into Room 80 of Mason High School with very little knowledge about leadership and even less about agriculture. As the bell rang to start the animal science class, Mr. Barnum, the agriculture education teacher, introduced himself and started roll call. Little did I know, the beginning of this third-hour class was also the beginning of a life-shaping journey for me.

As the trimester progressed, Mr. Barnum shared information, news and events from the school’s Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapter. I had heard my Dad talk about his involvement in the FFA growing up, but I hadn’t quite grasped the idea that I didn’t have to be a “future farmer” to be a member of the organization. After all, I had not grown up on a farm, and it was not exactly in my plans to start one.

It was not until Mr. Barnum encouraged me to compete in the Creed Speaking Contest, a career development event focused on developing public speaking skills, that I began to see all the organization had to offer. My next four years of high school were filled with experiences teaching me not only about public speaking, but also about marketing, business management, consumer trends, public relations, animal health and production, plant science, agriscience research, technology and natural resources.

Schunk (second on right) during an FFA trip to Tokyo, Japan. Photo by Adrian Schunk, MSU Extension.

As my FFA career and education continued, in 2017 I enrolled in my freshman year of college at Michigan State University and was incredibly grateful to serve over 7,800 Michigan FFA members as a state officer during this time.

I am beyond thankful to be serving as the National FFA Organization’s Eastern Region vice president, alongside five teammates from across the United States. A team of six officers representing over 669,989 FFA members nationwide allows the organization to better serve our students preparing for leadership and careers in the science, business and technology of agriculture.

Each of the 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands will host an officer for their State FFA Convention, where we will present keynotes and workshops regarding leadership development, personal growth and career success. When not with FFA members, we spend our time with sponsors and donors of the organization, in addition to state and national government officials. Consistently interacting with education and agribusiness leaders allows the FFA to continually remain relevant to industry and education needs, successfully preparing students for over 250 careers in agriculture.

The experience of serving the National FFA Organization provides the opportunity for my team to impact lives across the nation through workshops, keynotes and interactions with FFA members. We are grateful these skills will allow us to continue do so long after our year of service is finished.

From learning about international agriculture through visiting our sister organization, Future Farmers of Japan, to refining our leadership and presentation skills, we look forward to strengthening our ability to represent and advocate for agriculture and agriculture education on a daily basis.

Serving as a National FFA officer during the 2018-2019 year requires putting on hold my college studies for two semesters while traveling over 300 days of the year.

Upon retiring from the National FFA Office in fall 2019, I plan to continue studying communications and agribusiness management in the hopes of obtaining a career in leadership development in the agriculture industry.

Through involvement in FFA, I – along with FFA members across the nation – have been fortunate to gain skills in public speaking, leadership training, career development and agricultural advocacy. I look forward to growing these skills in the future, using them to help others develop professionally and represent agriculture in a positive light.

The National FFA Organization makes a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.