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2017-2018 State Officer Candidates Selected

The 2018 State Officer Screening Committee slated 8 high school seniors as candidates for state FFA office, April 11-12, 2017 at the Florida FFA Leadership Training Center in Haines City.  27 student members participated in the rigorous interview process.  These members were challenged with a personal interview, written exam, individual problem-solving exercise, advocacy stand and deliver practicum, state degree  interview, agricultural education interview and a conversational exercise.  The selected candidates will seek election at the 89th Florida FFA State Convention & Expo, June 12-16, 2017.

Presidential Candidates

  • Kyle Garner, South Lake FFA
  • Kaylin Kleckner, Ocala Westport FFA

Area 1 VP Candidate

  • Mitchell Singleton, Northview FFA

Area 2 VP Candidates

  • Robbie Sistrunk, Williston FFA
  • Noah Wright, Lake Butler FFA

Area 3 VP Candidates

  • Katie Hernandez, South Lake FFA
  • Taylor Proctor, Deltona FFA

Area 5 VP Candidates

  • Arie Fry, Plant City FFA

FFA members elect their own officers and plan and conduct activities. A maximum of eight state officers, all recent high school graduates taking a year off of college, play a key role in sharing FFA and agriculture’s message, traveling more than 300 days of their year of service.  State Officers present workshops and deliver presentations focused on the importance of agriculture and leadership development.

State Officers make an effort to visit every chapter each year to educate students about FFA and agriculture.

About the Florida FFA Association

The Florida FFA Association is a premier youth, leadership organization with nearly 18,000 middle and high school student members – as part of over 300 local FFA chapters across the state. FFA members participate in nearly 50 leadership and career development events each year.

The Florida FFA Association is a resource and support organization that does not select, control, supervise or approve local chapter or individual member activities except as expressly provided for in the Florida FFA Association Constitution and Bylaws.

The FFA Mission

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

 

Shark Pajamas and Star Wars…What are you thankful for?

The holidays! One of my favorite times of year let me assure you. Although my family has never been big, my dad normally works, and we live in Florida where Thanksgiving and Christmas are always hot we still celebrate every year. It’s a celebration, something that calls for more than just cheering on your favorite football team from the couch or seeing how many pieces of pie you can personally stuff your face with before feeling like you’re about to explode (my personal record is 6 by the way). It calls for the celebration of agriculture and the national tradition that we can and will hold true.

At Thanksgiving, sitting around the table we all go around and ask each member what they are thankful for. There are always the usual things like family, faith, health, love, and so on and so forth. However, I always say something extra, “FFA, and the farmers that grow this food so that we may consume it.” After all the first Thanksgiving was originally founded off of the pursuit and prosperity of agriculture if I’m remembering my history correctly. The Pilgrims and Indians came together after the Indians had helped the Pilgrims to grow crops and survive in the New World. So why is it that we seldom look to agriculture at this time for joyous celebration and focus instead on parade floats, pumpkin pie, and seeing how many touchdowns our teams can score?

Do we ever consider the fact that agriculture is a 365 day per year job? There are no full holidays, no sick days, and in this day in time almost no “thank you”. Although Thanksgiving has come and gone it is never too late to give thanks for the blessings we all possess. Never. We are blessed to be able to hug our families and tell them goodbye before we leave in the morning for school and to come home to a roof over our heads, a warm bed, and plenty of food to keep us satisfied. Most of all it is never too late to extend a thank you to an agriculturalist somewhere.

So Mariah, as you would like to tell us all that we should be thankful for, what about you? I’m always thankful for family, faith, and the FFA. I’m thankful for Netflix, passionate FFA members, the ability to serve you, shark pajamas after a long day, the entire Star Wars franchise, Mr. Ronnie Simmons, Mr. Kevin Kent, and Ms. Hannah Huggins. I am thankful for the seven individuals you chose to become my best friends and my siblings, Anna, Brett, Catharin, Emily, Hunter, Mason, and William. Lastly Florida FFA I will forever be thankful for you and the blue jacket we all love and share.

Happy Holidays from all of us!

Forever Blue,

Mariah Alvarez
Area VI State Vice President