FFA After High School

Hey Hey FFA!

For those of you who do not know me, my name is Corinne Ogle. I was the Alaska FFA State President in 2009-2010, which was also my senior year of high school, so I'm kind of a has-been. That being said, I've managed after all this time to still be involved in the FFA. I'd like to share with you my story and how, after high school, YOU can choose to still be a part of the FFA.

2009-2010 Alaska FFA State Officer Team

You face a big choice when you graduate high school in whether you want to be involved in FFA still. Of my state officer team, I am the only one still involved with FFA. There is nothing wrong with deciding that you want to move on and try something new. There are only so many hours in the day and you have to decide how you want to spend those hours. I did decide, though, that FFA was important not only to my life, but to the lives of those still in FFA and I wanted to give back and continue to be a part of the FFA. These are the avenues I chose:

Alaska FFA Alumni: This one is easy! You pay your dues (either yearly or lifetime) and then you are technically a member of the Alaska FFA Alumni. Your dues go toward Alaska FFA members - in other words, you make a financial contribution to the Alaska FFA Association that makes a difference in the lives of members. That's pretty awesome! Now, you can stop at paying dues, or you can keep going! You can donate money to pay for a member to go to state convention, to get their very own FFA jacket through the essay contest, and many more things! If you stay in Alaska after high school, you can help out at state convention as a judge, as a volunteer, and in many other ways! The avenue of Alaska FFA Alumni allows you to be as involved as you want to, from just paying your dues to volunteering your time. If you would like to further explore the option of becoming an Alaska FFA Alumni member, contact Hannah Harrison at ak.ffa.alum@gmail.com.

Alaska FFA State Staff and Alumni Develop Alaska FFA State Officers

National FFA Alumni: This one is easy as well. You pay your dues and then you are technically a member of the National FFA Alumni. Did you know that once Alaska FFA reaches a certain number of National FFA Alumni, then National FFA will pay for an FFA member from Alaska to go to a leadership conference in Washington, D.C. called the Washington Leadership Conference (WLC)? How cool is that?!

Collegiate FFA Member: This one is a little trickier than becoming an alumni only because this is only offered at certain colleges. I was fortunate enough that Cornell University has a very strong Collegiate FFA. Through Collegiate FFA, you help run events, conferences, state convention, and leadership workshops for FFA members of that state. You also have the option to compete in collegiate activities at the National FFA Convention. I'm sure that each Collegiate FFA chapter is different and their involvement and the opportunities they provide may vary, but I would highly recommend checking it out if the college you go to has a Collegiate FFA. It has helped me find many new friends and mentors as well as helped me grow as an individual.

 Collegiate FFA Members Volunteering at a Leadership Conference

Alaska FFA National Officer Candidate: This is a phenomenal opportunity that only one individual from the Alaska FFA can hold each year. Typically a National Officer Candidate has been a state officer in the past, but this is not a requirement. I'm not going to lie, it's a very honorable position to hold, but it is a rigorous one. Each state, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico can send a National Officer Candidate, with a possible of 52 candidates, all competing for only 6 National Officer positions. As the Alaska FFA National Officer Candidate, you have to have dedication and be willing to work hard. You have to want to serve as a National Officer, meaning taking a year off and traveling the United States to visit FFA members and sponsors. It's an experience of a life time that, if you're interested, you should definitely strive for. While the inputs are large, the outputs are incomparable. You make lifelong friends from across the country, develop your speaking and interviewing ability, and overall grow as a person. I was fortunate enough to hold the position as the Alaska FFA National Officer Candidate in 2012, and it was the best experience of my life. I would highly encourage you all to consider and strive to this position.

2012 Alaska FFA National Officer Candidate

The choice is yours!

- Corinne Ogle, Alaska FFA Alumni

Almost There

    "The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live." -Flora Whittemore

Twelve months have passed now since I put all of my official documents and my essay about why I wanted to serve as an Alaska State FFA Officer in the mail to our state staff. Nearly four years after I stepped through a doorway and into an organization I had never heard of, I was making my dream a reality. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that I wouldn't serve the 200 members of the Alaska FFA and represent many more FFA members across the country.

There is now only a little over a month until I give my retiring address as the 2011-2012 Alaska FFA Vice President. It's a feeling of excitement and anticipation, but scariness as well. This year, I won't be sitting in the chairs facing the stage in my Fairbanks FFA jacket. I won't be watching the State Officers lead us through sessions and CDE's.....instead, I will be on that stage, leading the members. Instead, THEY will be watching ME.

It's a scary thought to think that so much time has passed and that so much has been accomplished. Although I am running again for Alaska FFA State Office, this year is coming to an end and there will never be another like it. I am proud of the state I serve and the members who make it possible.

Thank you Alaska FFA!

Rayna Nelson
"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever." -Keri Russell

Stop and Smell the Flowers

As the final chapter visits are coming closer and the National FFA Convention has ended, there's time to breathe. Earlier this year, I found myself wondering if I would survive the coming school year working 2 jobs, going to school, playing in the youth symphony, and doing FFA and student council.  I'll be the first to admit it was too much. All of these activities and I even gave up varsity volleyball.....it was tough. Doing all these activities is all I've known. I've always been involved. I've always wanted to do more....but there's just not enough hours in a day or days in a week. To put it simply, I was pushing my own limits too far.

You see, it's my theory that in today's society, teens are pushed and pushed to get involved because it looks good on applications, because it gives us more experiences, or because it will keep us out of trouble. When we get too involved though...it's only asking for trouble. I think our society needs to start letting kids breathe a little; let's teach our generation the importance of stopping to smell the flowers.

As a senior in high school i'm beginning to see why so many who have graduated before me were so stressed out. The final grades. The college applications. The costs. The graduation requirements. And the question most of us fear...what am I going to do with my life?

Although a few people have told me I don't need to know yet, it feels as if it's not being enforced enough to all the seniors. Having found myself in a panic because I found I don't want to be a nurse anymore after looking at colleges all over the US based on their nursing programs, the phrase, "Stop and smell the flowers," has become my best friend.

So, now you see, stopping to smell the flowers isn't  always a bad thing. We need to slow down. we may just find ourselves to far ahead of what we planned for. For me, I'm taking a year off of school to focus souly on FFA. Maybe a class for fun, but defnitely not full time. That's my way of taking a step back to enjoy the coming adventures. What will you do?

Sincerely,
Rayna Nelson
Alaska FFA Vice President

FFA = Awesome

My name is Darien Cooke, I am from Palmer Alaska and I am the State President for Alaska FFA. You know, I have always hated speaking in front of groups. Small or large it always made me so nervous that my chest would constrict and my face would get beet red. The problem is, I LOVE to talk in front of people. I find that most problems that we have can be fixed if we talk about it. I find the best way to make people happy, relaxed, excited, is to talk. Now, I don't know why I have a fear of public speaking even though I love to speak in front of people. I love the feeling that you get when you know people are actually listening to what you have to say and not shrugging it off. Ok, this far into this paragraph you are probably thinking, " OK Darien, WE GET IT, cut to the chase" Well. The chase is. FFA has helped me tackle my fear of public speaking,  it hasn't completely gotten rid of it, but FFA has helped a ton to make me feel a little more relaxed doing it. The beauty of why I am sharing this is, this can happen to you with FFA. If you have a fear, I can guarantee that the FFA members will help you through it, just like me and my speaking. I love FFA for this, they have given me a gift I didn't know I had.So please, if you read this you are probably laughing a little, but you are also probably a little curious. Am I right? Or am I right? The world is ready for our generation to help it rise up and regain stability. It is waiting for us.This. Is. Gonna be fun. You ready? Lets rock.

P.S
By the way, or I guess BTW, You, yes, you who is reading this, you are awesome. Remember that. On a different note, how would you say BTW, Be Te Dubb? Oh, I guess like that.

Alright Data, beam me up

Darien

Your 2011-2012 Alaska FFA State Vice President is....

Rayna Nelson! I still remember that moment our state advisor said my name at the awards banquet at the 35th annual Alaska FFA State Convention in Kodiak, Alaska. It was the moment I had been waiting for since my freshamn year in FFA. It was like a dream come true.

So, who am I? I am a senior at a small career technical school in Fairbanks, Alaska where I am the Student Body President. I have been in FFA for almost 5 yearsand it has shaped me to be the person I am, but I'm sure the rest of our team could say that too. I play viola for the Fairbanks Youth Symphony, this will be my sixth year. I switched from the violin to viola Christmas of my freshman year and taught myself the new music notes. In all, I have played violin/viola for about 10 years. I love sports like volleyball and soccer and I love to run. As a student said today, "Some call it stretching myself thin, I call it being involved."

So far this year as a state officer I have traveled to places as far as Washington D.C. to represent Alaska with our President Darien Cooke along with 98 other state officers from across the US. We talked with  Senator Lisa Murkowski as well as Senator Mark Begich and Congressman Don Young. we gaave input to the United States Farm Bill and had the opportunity to talk with the Secretary of the US Department of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. The metro system in D.C. was another story in itself! We figured the metro out by the time we got to the airport to leave for home, but it was an exciting experience.

As a team, we have had BLAST Off and a new training we called State Officer Training Camp 2011. Both leadership development trainings have taught us many valuable skills and I am super excited for the coming year. Before I became a state officer this year, I had dreams of doing these great chapter visits and making kids feel like FFA was the thing to do. And of course it is!

So far this year, I've learned that a person can only do so much before it's too much. I've learned to meet deadlines even better than before. I've learned that working in a team isn't always perfect, but we just have to get through the struggles and celebrate the accomplishments. People come from all different life styles and it takes patience, understanding, and thoughfulness to work with all different types of people.

I'm excited to see what the year has in store and to meet some amazing people!