How the FFA Helped Me Get A J.O.B.

Throughout my high school career I never had a year round job, other than farm chores, so I could focus on school, FFA, and sports. I didn’t really start working until the summer after my junior year, and that was at a camp I had attended every year for ten years prior to applying for a job. When I graduated high school I knew I needed to get a job that I would be employed in for more than three months. Naturally I started getting nervous. I mean, I was looking for a job during a time of economic hardship and a record unemployment rate. I knew that landing a job would be no easy task, but I also had an arsenal of skills I developed through my time as an FFA member that would be vital to my success.

Before I even started filling out job applications, I sat down and created a basic job resume. In my leadership development class we had a whole unit on resumes, job applications, and job interviews. I already had a basic resume created from that unit that included my name, contact information, education history, current and previous employment, achievements that I had during my high school career, and references. I did have to take that resume and update information like my education history and current and previous employment, as well as refine my achievements. While that part of a resume does show the potential employer what you are capable of, all of the achievements do need to be refined to fit what position you are applying for. I originally applied for a food service position so I included my top two FFA offices to show leadership, but left off the years I showed animals at the county fair because that company wouldn’t have cared whether I showed a steer or ate it’s hamburger for supper last night. However, if I were applying for a position with a veterinarian or on a farm, I would have probably included my years at the fair because it shows that I have had experiences working with animals.

After the resume was completed I filled out the actual job application and waited for a response and hopefully an interview. I made a follow-up phone call the week after I sent my application in just to make sure that my application was received. Not only did this give me peace of mind but it also showed that I was truly interested in the position, not just filling out an application because mommy and daddy told me I had to. Waiting was the worst part for me because I knew I needed this job. After two weeks I finally got a phone call asking to set up an interview.  That was such a relief! I knew I was still in the running for the job.

The night before my interview I was really nervous. I was trying to find something nice to wear that wasn’t too fancy. Khakis and a nice polo or dressy shirt are a pretty safe be when going into a job interview, at least for most jobs. The next day after school, I went to the restaurant and went through the actual interview process. I felt like I did pretty good, but afterwards I kept thinking of things I should have said and processed the interview over and over in my head. I never heard back from the restaurant, which really bummed me out, until I found out that the reason I probably didn’t get the job was because the restaurant shut down about a month after my interview. However, I did go through the process again and landed a job at my next interview at a local college dining hall. Without the skills I learned through my agriculture classes and the FFA, I know I would have done a lot worse of a job with the resume, interviews, and etiquette of the process.

On the Urban Edge

This past weekend we had the opportunity to attend the Farm Bureau Young Farmers Winter Expo in Loudon County, Virginia. The conference included Farm Bureau Young Farmers from Virginia and Maryland. Our team had the chance to catch up with the Maryland state officers and hear how their year was going. We also got to tour some agricultural businesses around the county. It was neat learning about how they are farming and keeping agriculture alive on the urban edge.

Our morning started out at a local farmers market in the middle of a shopping center parking lot. People come from all over the county and even West Virginia to sell products that they had grown or made. This was an awesome opportunity for farmers and others to market and sell their products in a localized market. Our next stop was to a pie bakery. The pies were made fresh with home grown local fruit. I was very excited to hear that the apples they used were from Winchester, Virginia, my hometown. We got to try some of their baked goods and they were AMAZING! Another neat stop of the day was to a where they grew lettuce and herbs to sell to grocery stores and local restaurants. It was so interesting to think about how different the agricultural industries here in America are from those that we saw in China.

One of the most interesting things I learned over the week was from the local chefs that spoke. It was great hearing from someone is receiving food directly from farmers and to hear what they were thinking. These chefs plan their menus around what is in season at the time and even talk to the farms to plan out what they need so the farmers can grow it. Another event that we participated in was helping the Young Famers come up with issues that they could to take to their state convention. It felt so good to be fighting for agriculture education. Agriculture education has been such a big part of my life and I want to help make sure that other students all over Virginia get that same opportunity to learn about agriculture. Our team had such a great weekend at the Farm Bureau Young Farmers Winter Expo! It was a great time meeting new people, learning about agriculture in another part of Virginia, and catching up with old friends.

VACTE Conference

After a long but very exciting trip to China, I headed straight to our state’s capital; Richmond. I was prepared for two days of visiting with legislators and advocating for the FFA while we celebrated career and technical education month. After a long trip and driving in circles around Richmond, I found my way to our first meeting where I had the opportunity of meeting state presidents from several different organizations. Representatives of organizations like FBLA, FCCLA, DECA, HOSA, TSA, and Skills USA were all at the conference representing their organization but more importantly, representing career and technical education all over the state of Virginia.

We quickly were hurried to a huge conference room where we had the opportunity to meet with Governor Bob McDonnell and witness the signing of the proclamation recognizing career and technical education month. It was an amazing opportunity to see the Governor’s support of CTE programs in the state and the importance of organizations like the FFA. After the signing, we headed back to our hotel and learned a little bit about advocating for CTE programs when dealing with delegates and senators on capitol hill.

In Richmond, witnessing the signing for the CTE Month Proclamation

The next day we headed out early and met with several different members of the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate. Talking to them about Agriculture education as well as other programs in the state was awesome. It was great to get the word out to those in our government and know that what we were doing was helping to provide the opportunities and education to FFA members all over the state.

The weekend really opened my eyes to many different things. I learned a lot about other organizations within the state, and was able to show others a little about the FFA. I learned about advocating for our organization, as well as the agricultural industry as a whole. Finally, I began to understand and realize the importance of expressing our views as an organization and getting the word out about FFA and what we love. Talking to legislators and others involved in Virginia’s government was something that was tough, but will hopefully allow us to continue to provide the opportunities that we have and allow each of us to do what we love. All in all it was an awesome weekend that allowed me to meet a lot of really cool people, learn a lot about career and technical education, and advocate for our organization. It was a success!