Finding Your Way

I was so excited to finally try on my brand new, corduroy, FFA jacket. However, I wasn’t always excited at first. My mom pushed me to be in FFA even though I wasn’t even involved in agriculture, and I couldn’t stop thinking to myself, “why am I even here?” But I had an amazing advisor who spoke so highly of FFA and made me feel like I may even have a place here, without an agricultural background. So, I paid my dues, bought that blue corduroy jacket, and waited until finally the jacket was here. I grabbed it from my advisor and ran into the locker room to show it to my friends. I quickly removed it from the packaging, tried it on, and got laughed at. I got laughed at! I was finally starting to feel comfortable in this organization and now my friends are laughing at me because of it? Maybe I shouldn’t be in this organization.

I still stuck with it though. I just bought this jacket, and I wasn’t going to let it sit in my closet for the rest of my life. And so, I tried the Creed Speaking Leadership Development Event (LDE) and won our chapter runoff. From there I somehow won districts and placed 2nd at state. I started to think that maybe this isn’t that bad. I’m learning some pretty good skills, so maybe I should continue with it. However, I was still struggling. My friends in my chapter knew so much more than I did about agriculture and FFA. I still didn’t feel like I belonged. But I decided to next try the Agricultural Communications Career Development Event (CDE). Now this is when things started to pick up.

I learned that even though I can’t judge livestock, I can still be an advocate for the livestock industry. I learned that even though I don’t know much about agriculture, I can still share what I do know. I learned that I did have a place in this organization, just differently than I thought. You see, I thought that to be in FFA, you had to know how to judge and show animals or know a lot about agriculture. But the whole point of this organization is to have the individual GROW. No matter where you started, this is the organization that is going to help YOU grow into the person you want to be. Now knowing that I did have a place in this organization, I worked hard on my Agricultural Communications CDE team and ended up winning 1st place team at State and scoring 6th place team and 1st high individual at the FFA National Convention.

Everyone is different, and with such a diverse organization it is important to find your own pathway to find your own personal growth.

Claire Shelton

I no longer cared that my friends laughed at me for wearing the corduroy jacket because to me, that jacket symbolizes my growth. Everyone is different, and with such a diverse organization it is important to find your own pathway to find your own personal growth. If I did what I thought I should have done based on the traditional routes of FFA, I would have never had these amazing opportunities that have shaped me into who I am today. Wear that blue corduroy proudly. Find your own pathway in the National FFA Organization. And focus on your own growth.

Claire Shelton

Idaho FFA Secretary

-Claire, seeing how you found your way helps us realize that there is a place for everyone in FFA! Thank you for your year of service to Idaho FFA!