On Oct. 26, 19 members of the Roosevelt FFA eagerly waited in the Salt Lake City airport to board a plane that would take them on the trip of a lifetime. As we landed in Indianapolis, Indiana we were amazed. There were blue corduroy jackets everywhere.

Not only is the National FFA Convention the largest gathering of FFA members, but it is the largest gathering of any student-run organi- zation. In order to qualify for national competition, students are required to win first place at the state level.

“I am so grateful for the opportunity to go to the National Convention with my amazing chapter,” said Kennedy Freston. “We were able to learn a lot about leadership from the workshops and now I can apply what I learned into my life. It was an amazing experience to be able to see that I am a part of something so much bigger.”

This year, our poultry team, veterinary science team and a team in agriscience fair qualified and competed at the national level. All of our teams did very well, worked extremely hard and learned so much.

“I loved having the opportunity to compete at the level that we did,” said Cooper Winn. “It was really cool to see that we are a part of something so big.”

Veterinary science took 16th overall. Kylee Eldredge placed 22nd overall in the contest and earned a gold ranking. Our poultry team qualified as freshmen, which is very uncommon to quali fy at that young of an age. They placed in the top half of the nation. Jocelyn Miles and Taylor Back received a bronze ranking in the national agriscience fair.

“It was an experience of a lifetime,” Miles said. “I loved representing my chapter at a national level. I learned so much about the importance of agriculture not only in Utah but nationwide. I am a true believer that the 2% feed the 100%.”

We had three members receive their American degree: Jaycee Foster, Lauryn Mower and Leah Wheelwright.

After the convention, we spent the next four days traveling through Kentucky and Nashville. We had the opportunity to tour an Amish farm and learn about their life and how they do things. And it’s fair to say that part was everyone’s favorite.

“This was the most amazing trip I have ever been on,” said Shailie Lazenby. “I learned so much from better leadership skills to agriculture outside of Utah. FFA is truly an amazing organization that will change a person for the better.”

We also did a lot of tours around civil war areas and civil war monuments. We were all very sad when Tuesday afternoon came and we had to head home.

“Seeing that sea of blue gathered in the same room, I really felt like I was a part of something much bigger than myself,” said Sunny Davis. “I got to meet so many interesting and amazing people at the national convention. Every time I talked to someone new, I was amazed by their stories. Everyone is different and everyone has a different story to tell. But despite our differences, we were all able to unite under one common interest, the future of agriculture in America. I loved competing at nationals. I would do it again in a heartbeat, given the chance.”

With the National Convention behind us, we are now busy preparing for upcoming competitions that will help us get ready for state and possibly win some events and be able to qualify again for Nationals.