FFA officers Connor Berry, Tyler Cornish, Blake Bolar, Jeffery Allen, Alyson Routon and Skyler Matheny at the National FFA Convention.

MORGAN BARNES – Hoof Prints Staff

“The girls packed too much,” Jeffery Allen said. “Way too much.”

Senior Jeffery Allen didn’t know if the Buffalo Island Central FFA members would ever get the wheels rolling and on their way to Indianapolis. However once they did there was no turning back. They were packed in that van like sardines.

“It was crowded,” Jeffery said. “There wasn’t much space.”

After the seven-and-a-half hour drive the FFA members couldn’t have been happier to get out of the van and onto their feet, especially the three boys who were scrunched up in the back seat. After resting and settling in, each member was excited about the FFA National Convention.  They knew it was their chance to meet new people.

Jeffery alone spoke to between 50 and 100 people. October 19 just so happened to be his birthday which was a great conversation starter for him.  Jeffery got the idea that he should try to get a picture with a girl from every state. Kentucky just so happened to be his favorite group.  However he only managed to get approximately 21 states.

Between all the fun, the nearly 50,000 FFA members across the United States obtained knowledge from keynote speakers. The one that stood out  to the students the most was a previous Vietnam veteran who described his struggles and how he overcame them. They also sat in on a public speaking contest.

BIC was not eligible to participate in this event considering only one FFA member from each state could participate. Also, each student took part in the college and career booths. The booths contained information from various careers and colleges. Adults talked to the students about their future career goals and how they could achieve them.

“I feel that the students learned a number of things from this trip,” Mr. Fires said. “The students really enjoyed it and would love to go back.”

Jeffery also feels that BIC FFA officers should continue to attend the National Convention.

“It was a great experience,” Jeffery said. If you ask anyone else, I’m sure they would say the same.”