Where Will The Blue Jacket Take You?

Where Will The Blue Jacket Take You?

Where will the blue jacket take you? For two Beauregard FFA members, it took them on a once in a lifetime trip to South Dakota this past December. For FFA members Gracyn Lashley and Tanya Martinez, it all started with a willingness to step up and serve. The Beauregard FFA chapter received news that it had become a finalist in the Premier Chapter Award program for their “Stamping Away Ag Theft” activity in August. This required two chapter members to present the activity at the national level. After nearly two months of preparation, Gracyn and Tanya presented at the 96th National FFA Convention and Expo in Indianapolis where they were one of the top three chapters in their division. They thought that this presentation would be the culmination of all of their hard work, but little did they know, they had made a great impression on one of the judges that day.

Just a few weeks later, their advisor received an email inviting them to attend the South Dakota FFA Leadership Development Conference as special guest presenters. The girls along with their advisor, Mrs. Whitney Dyess, boarded a plane on December 3rd for the adventure of a lifetime. Upon arrival, Tanya and Gracyn enjoyed meeting with FFA members and discussing their FFA experiences. The following day, they were able to present their Premier Chapter presentation for advisors and members of the state and answer questions in hopes of helping spark more involvement in the National Chapter Award program.

The conference saw over 800 FFA members and guests visit the conference held in Rapid City. For Tanya Martinez, the best part of the trip was experiencing the joy of the members during their awards ceremony. “The excitement of the state winners was completely contagious and it was so wonderful to watch the results of their hard work,” Martinez said. Gracyn added “my favorite parts of this experience was definitely meeting the state officer team and learning about their experiences in FFA and how they differ from my own.”

These connections have led to new friendships as both girls still stay in contact with many of the people they met. The cherry on top of the experience was getting to visit Mount Rushmore and be reminded of the many great leaders who have helped form our country. This experience will definitely be near the forefront of these two amazing FFA members minds as they continue to have an impact and lead the Beauregard FFA chapter.