Washington County Enterprise-Leader

Developing Through The FFA Creed

- By Whitney Walker

Hello my name is Whitney Walker. I have been a member of the Prairie Grove FFA chapter since my 8th-grade year. Last year as a freshman, I had the opportunit­y to compete in the FFA creed competitio­n at the National FFA convention and make the top 16 in the country, representi­ng Arkansas FFA.

Getting to experience National Convention has always been a dream of mine, as my dad, granddad, and extended relatives have had the same experience in past years, making it mean even more to me than a great convention with greater people, but also a family tradition.

Competing in the creed competitio­n helped me to develop more public speaking and communicat­ion skills than I ever could without. I also developed many new friendship­s throughout this experience. I have made new friends within the state of Arkansas, as well as friends from Minnesota, Texas, and other various states.

Taking part in the FFA creed competitio­n has helped me to obtain a broader and deeper under- standing and appreciati­on for the agricultur­e industry as a whole. I expanded my knowledge to more than just the livestock aspect of agricultur­e that I have grown up in, and invested my time into studying more diverse agricultur­e topics, such as floricultu­re, ag communicat­ions, marine biology, and even ag mechanics.

The most important takeaway I have from National Convention and the creed competitio­n is that no matter what aspect of FFA a person is involved in, we can all relate to one another through the words E. M. Tiffany wrote in 1928.

 ?? COURTESY PHOTO ?? Prairie Grove FFA members participat­ed in the Leadership Camp: (back, left) Nick Pohlman, Kinder Harlow, Thomas Collins; (front, left) Reagan Rochier, Jon Hays, Ali Edger. in
COURTESY PHOTO Prairie Grove FFA members participat­ed in the Leadership Camp: (back, left) Nick Pohlman, Kinder Harlow, Thomas Collins; (front, left) Reagan Rochier, Jon Hays, Ali Edger. in
 ?? COURTESY PHOTO ?? Haylie Dobbs and Colton Teekell, members of Prairie Grove FFA Chapter, receive their American FFA Degrees.
COURTESY PHOTO Haylie Dobbs and Colton Teekell, members of Prairie Grove FFA Chapter, receive their American FFA Degrees.
 ?? COURTESY PHOTO ?? Members of Prairie Grove FFA attend the Winter Leadership Camp at Camp Couchdale Hot Springs.
COURTESY PHOTO Members of Prairie Grove FFA attend the Winter Leadership Camp at Camp Couchdale Hot Springs.

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