National FFA Convention

The suitcases were stuffed. The preparation was complete. The time was WAY TOO EARLY. The destination was… Indianapolis, home of the National FFA Convention. Needless to say, the 10 of us were stoked as we boarded our flight with Starbucks in hand and sweater vests on our back. This was going to be the week of a lifetime. We were mere hours away from witnessing 60,000 blue and gold jackets overtake an entire city. How much better could it get?

We waived to the other state associations as we waited for our bags. We videoed some classic airport footage as we waited for our bags. We even had a nice chit chat with some of our Texas delegates as we waited for our bags. After everyone else departed for the hotel, there we were…still waiting for our bags. Up until this point, I was unsure of what the acronym for Delta actually meant. Well, now we knew: Don’t Expect Luggage To Arrive.

We wouldn’t let that damper our mood, though. After all, how upset can you get when you’re riding in a limo to your hotel? Later that evening, we finished a tasty meal at PF Changs only to find that the lovely people at Delta had delivered each of our bags to the hotel. I have never been so excited to see a bag of official dress. We woke up that next morning prepared for a hard day’s work. It was, after all, the Day of Service. Texas had a record number of delegates participate in the event. Way to step up, fellow Texans! We divided into several groups before embarking on a mission to serve the city of Indianapolis. Jeremiah, Layton, and I had a blast at the Habitat for Humanity site, where we put up siding for a local family’s home. I was absolutely pumped to be helping the family, despite the fact that the only thing I could manage to nail was my finger. Regardless, I would consider it a successful endeavor.

Our Day of Service was merely the beginning of an eventful week. Each day was spent socializing with all of our friends from other states, completing the work for each of our committees, discussing issues with the potential to change our entire national organization, and downing Starbucks coffee by the gallon. We watched as Riley Branch gave an inspiring retiring address on reaching out to the students who may seem to be “Invisible”. We cheered as students from Texas walked across the stage to receive national banners. We ate lunch with Hatem Albachary, a businessman from Iraq, that was looking to begin an agricultural education program in his home country. We watched the look of confusion on each of the other state association officers’ faces as they joined us for Midnight Yell Practice. We saw Randa Braune, 2007-2008 Texas FFA State Officer, slip into her National Western Region Vice-President jacket. We witnessed a sense of unity and compassion from students everywhere as one of our very own Texas FFA members, Phillip Caler, experienced a tragic accident; please keep his family and his chapter in your prayers as he makes his recovery. Needless to say, our week was jam packed with a surprising array of events to keep us on our toes. Of course, we finished each day off with our midnight run to Steak and Shake before hitting the sack for a mere 3-4 hours of sleep.

Naturally, it was all worth it. As we boarded the plane to head back to Texas, I felt a slight pang of sadness. I was going to miss good old Indianapolis. Of course, I was ready to get back on the road and put all that I learned into action. Thanks to the National FFA Convention, the 49 Texas Delegates and the other 60,000 national FFA members are ready to Lead Out Loud.