The Joy of Service

The abilities, projects, and aspirations of Minnesota FFA members never cease to inspire and awe me. I am swept away by the desire of members to share agriculture with others. I am impressed with the leadership abilities of chapter and regional officers. I was blessed to join Sleepy Eye FFA on their parents' night to celebrate their successes.


We celebrated the involvement of the Greenhand members.(above)

It reminded me of my freshman year in FFA when the possibilities seemed endless, but I never imagined state office would be for me. I barely knew what a state officer was besides the crazy people running around on stage during state convention. I wanted to do well in my Soils Judging and maybe be Chapter Treasurer someday. Within a year of state convention my freshman year a lot changed. I was running for chapter president and serving as a region officer. State office still didn't cross my mind until halfway through my Region President year. I realized that leadership is what I love, and that running for state office was what I needed to do.

The joy of service as a state officer continually makes me stop and think about how blessed I am. I find pure joy in talking to FFA members, like Josh from Sleepy Eye, about their dreams and involvement in FFA. Josh made me smile as he shared his similar experience in soil judging and his desire to farm someday. He has true passion for agriculture and it's inspiring.


The Chapter Officer Team

I arrived early at the Sleepy Eye FFA chapter on Sunday, December 11th to spend time with the chapter officers. I can't even begin to point out the bubbling, excited energy of each individual. They made me feel truly welcome at their chapter and helped remind me what being a leader is all about: service.

Thank you Sleepy Eye FFA for adopting me on Sunday evening, and thank you Minnesota FFA members for making this year a blessed, service-filled adventure.

Beneath the rising sun,
Hillary