Sophomore Brianna Bobo shares her experience at the FFA National Convention
On Friday, Nov. 3, Salem High School FFA got the chance to attend the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis. It was full of FFA members from all over the country. When you arrive at the convention, you can go into the expo area and visit agriculture exhibitors. There are a lot of exhibitors set up and activities supplied by them. There were more than 300 exhibitors representing agriculture, colleges, fundraising, the U.S Armed Services and auto and truck manufacturers. They all greeted attendees in the Indiana Convention Center for the 2023 National FFA Expo.
There’s something for everyone at the convention. Members will discover many agricultural careers and explore opportunities in job training and education. I got to visit Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine, which is what I want to study. There were plenty of booths that had things to say about veterinary medicine. It was a great experience to talk to more experienced people in the agricultural business. Getting to know more about the career I want to pursue is a great thing because you get to know more about it and see how it is in the real world. There were a lot of young FFA members that wanted to know more about the career they are pursuing. The FFA National Convention is a great place for our young FFA members to get their questions answered and figure out more from experienced agricultural business workers.
FFA has played a big part in my life. I joined FFA back in Texas when I was in sixth grade. From the moment I started it has played a big role in my life – from learning from experienced agricultural workers to realizing what I wanted for a career. I first got involved with FFA because I saw their flyers and read all the fun events that they host. I started barrel racing that year, so when I saw that they host horse races and so many more animal shows I was interested. I have always been interested in animals so when I saw that, it made me join.
My favorite thing about FFA is how they open their arms to new people and everything I get the opportunity to learn about. FFA welcomes anyone that wants to join. It is a great way to experience new things and get more knowledge about agriculture careers. In FFA you learn leadership skills, good sportsmanship, work ethic, community service, and lifelong friendships. The FFA is like a big family, you get close with other members and you spend a lot of time with each other helping and expanding your knowledge in the agriculture world.