Make Time For Fun

Ah yes, yet another school year has begun, and the work is starting to pile up. There are due dates to be met, chapters to read, essays to write, and an endless amount of vocab to study. Before you get too lost in your to-do list, take a moment to enjoy yourself and have some fun.

Throughout high school, I usually found myself sitting at home reading a textbook or writing another lengthy paper for one of my online classes. Instead of spending my weekends with friends or going on adventures, I spent my time in my room doing schoolwork. At first, it didn’t seem like such a bad thing and I actually enjoyed it; however, as the weeks went on, it began to get old and boring. Even though I was burned out from school, I was dedicated to my studies and my grades for all of high school.

As college started up, I dreaded spending another ten months doing nothing but homework. This impending dread caused me to try something new by taking more time for fun. Instead of spending every weekend studying, I decided to dedicate some of them to trying new things and traveling to different places.

One of my favorite memories comes from two hour period I spent with some of my favorite people. After a district meeting, I went down to a broken boat ramp at Lake Red Rock with my teammates. We walked across the broken concrete of the ramp until we hit the very edge of the water. We paused to take pictures, watched the sunset, and laughed until a couple of us cried. As I watched the waves crash into the side of the ramp, the last thing on my mind was the stress of school and the worry of homework. I was simply enjoying myself and the people around me.

At this moment, I realized the importance of making time for fun. Yes, schoolwork and grades are important, but they don’t have to be your constant focus. Don’t be afraid to take a break from your busy schedule to enjoy yourself. Go for a walk, try something new, go on an adventure, hang out with the people who make you laugh, and most importantly, do something you enjoy. Life’s too short to work 24/7: make time for fun!

You Deserve It, 

Mickayla McGill 

South Central State Vice-President

Oh The Places You'll Go

As FFA members, we are always told there are so many opportunities for us, but maybe we find ourselves wondering what those are. I always found myself doing the same, looking for new places to go and activities to complete! Here are a few that I discovered to be my favorite!


National FFA Convention & Expo- From contests, to speakers, to expos, oh my! There is definitely something for everyone at the National Convention! My favorite part of Convention was meeting people from all 50 states and getting their signatures in the back of my convention booklet and of course the agriscience fair! Some other highlighted events are Sessions hosted by our National Officers or a visit to the Blue Room to experience the future of agriculture. This year National Convention will also be hosting motivational speakers Bob Goff and Michelle Poler. You also can’t forget about the entertainment at night! Old Dominion and Brett Young will be rocking in Bankers Life Fieldhouse, there will also be Rodeos and Hypnotist shows!


Greenhand Fire-up- Are you a new member that wants to learn more about FFA? Then this is the perfect event for you! As a freshman, I was a little nervous to go because this was my first FFA event but it was the best choice I could have made! This event allows members to interact while completing fun activities learning about various leadership skills. Make sure to talk to your advisor about registering!


Ignite, Amplify and Transform Conferences- Here is another great opportunity to get involved in a large conference! While attending members will have the chance to meet new people and learn from fun activities. This conference splits up students into three different conferences Ignite 7th-9th grades, Amplify 10th-11th grades, and Transform for seniors. These conferences are held on November 10 and January 5th, but registration is filling up fast!


Legislative Symposium- This is one of my personal favorite events! At this event, members have the chance to visit the capitol, meet with congress, and hear from our state officials! We have the chance to discuss agricultural issues and advocate for our industry. It is very cool to see the capitol filled with blue jackets! This event takes place on February 14, 2019.


Be sure to check out these and all the other opportunities FFA has to offer.

Aspire to Inspire,

Shelby Westhoff

Northeast State Vice President

It'll Fly By

When you start your first year of high school, everyone tells you that those four years will fly by. However, when you find yourself sitting in the high school classroom or walking down the crowded hallway, it’s hard to think about anything other than leaving high school behind.

I felt the exact same way. I went into high school thinking all I wanted to do was finish those four years and head off to college. I joined different activities like speech and marching band. These events were fun, I liked getting to be with friends and participating in extracurriculars. During my sophomore year, I got involved in FFA. Everything I was involved in was a great time, but still a part of me that was just waiting to graduate and move on.

Once I got my license, I attended every football game my junior and senior years. I would trade off driving with a group of friends. Every Friday night we would pile into someone’s car and follow the football team to wherever they were playing that night. Looking back, those two falls went too fast.

When senior year came, many of my classmates started to feel the inevitable “Senioritis.” As our graduation approached, they couldn’t wait to move on to bigger plans. As ready as I had been to leave high school, now I was terrified. I wasn’t ready to leave my little high school that I had grown to love over the last four years. Suddenly, I wanted everything to slow down.

Obviously, I graduated anyway. I now attend Iowa State University. As I started college two weeks ago, a part of me wanted to be back in my high school hallways. When my high school played their first football game, I would have done just about anything to be back in the stands cheering them on. College is a new experience, but don’t let it keep you from enjoying the four years you get to spend in high school.

I’ve been there. High school isn’t always fun. Some days you wish you could graduate right then and there. And you definitely don’t want to hear anyone tell you that those years fly by. I know it seems like the time in high school drags on, but don’t let the time you spend there go uncherished. Take time to enjoy volleyball practice with your teammates. When you march in the halftime show with your band, listen to the cheering crowd. Laugh with your friends at the cheesy school assemblies and sing along to the radio on the way to state convention with your FFA chapter. Make sure to cheer loudly and soak it all in at the Friday night football games. I know it doesn’t always seem like it in the moment, but someday you may miss the times you got to be a student at your high school.

I never thought I would miss my high school. But as senior year wound down, and as I find myself a college student, my heart aches for the times I spent on my school grounds. I miss the people and the activities. I wish I would’ve spent a little more time enjoying the moment as I lived it. It really will fly by, so enjoy making memories as they happen.

Run with your Challenges,

Natalie Jefson

State Secretary

Dreaming Big

Growing up, I was that stereotypical kid that wanted to be a professional baseball player. I was going to be a pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, while simultaneously hitting 500 Home Runs throughout my career. I was going to win all of the awards, I was going to be famous, and I was going to make a lot of money. This at the time, seemed like a foolproof plan, but now looking back? Yikes. I don’t think I could name a pitcher that hit five home runs. I would tell everyone I met that I was going to be a baseball player, and nobody told me no.

In my later years, after I wisened up and realized that the dream I had, was a little farfetched. So I did some hard thinking as a normal 10-year-old would and I settled on being a sports broadcaster. I was going to work for ESPN and be that recognizable voice, that called every baseball game. I had my college picked out, bought some gear to prepare, and I was set. I knew what I was going to do. When I told people about it, they told me I could do it.

In life, you have to dream big. You have to give yourself the goals that will give you that sense of satisfaction. You’ll have naysayers, you’ll have people that will want to hold you back. As I am writing this blog, I’m living my biggest dream. There were a plethora of people that told me I wasn’t capable of getting to where I am today. I tuned them out and worked towards my dream. Nothing in life comes easy and you work for everything you earn. So what’s stopping you from achieving your biggest dream?

Walt Disney once said, “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to achieve them.” Imagine yourself achieving your biggest dream. You finally becoming that baseball player, passing that test, or getting that job you’ve always wanted. No dream is too big or small. They are all capable of being reached, you just have to work towards them. So start taking those steps towards achieving your dreams, block out the people who tell you and believe in yourself. Because I know you are capable of doing whatever you wish.

Members of the Iowa FFA and those who are reading this, think back to a time where you came up short of a dream you’ve always had. How did that feel? How did you respond? If your dream doesn’t come true, don’t give up, just take the loss on the chin and move forward. You can do anything you set your mind to, it is in your control, not anyone else's. Dream big, because you are capable of achieving anything.

Yours in blue,

Nole Bochmann

2019-2020 NW State Vice President

Iowa FFA Association