More than 70,000 students, advisors, and guests traveled to Indianapolis last week for the 98th National FFA Convention & Expo. Among the students who made the trip were those from Alcona FFA in northeastern Michigan.
Ella Gehring was one of those students—she’s a senior at Alcona High School. She told Michigan Ag Today that one of the major takeaways from last week’s convention was learning the tools to sharpen her leadership skills.
“I’m actually the president of my chapter, and I’ve learned so many great leadership skills—such as learning how to talk to people and be presentable in front of people. There are so many new skills that I took away from this convention and from serving in my own chapter,” she said.
What led Ella to join FFA?
“When I was put into my Agriscience class, I started out on animal science. I’ve always been interested in animals. I have some chickens, ducks, and turkeys, so it was just kind of natural for me to go in that class and want to join FFA.”
At last year’s convention, Ella says she had an amazing experience getting the chance to perform on stage throughout the convention.
“I played euphonium in the band and was first chair. The instrument is closer to tuba, but I tell everybody it’s like a baby tuba,” she said.
What advice does Ella give to other students who may be unsure if they should become a member of FFA?
“Try everything. Even though it might not be your thing, there are so many unique opportunities in FFA. The first event that I ever did was a broiler contest and I wasn’t even really interested in that or chickens around that time, but I went, and it just really sparked my interest,” she said.
Ella was also part of Alcona FFA’s Food Science Team who received a National Bronze Award for their presentation last week during the National FFA Convention. CONGRATULATIONS!
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