Personal Narrative: My Involvement With The FFA

By the way of introduction, I am Aleem Punja's cousin and he suggested I reach out to you to explore possible opportunities at the Children's Aid Society of Toronto.

One major experience that has shaped me as a person would be the decision to join FFA my freshman year. FFA has allowed me many incredible opportunities and experiences these past four years.

During high school I experienced many up’s and down’s. Many times it was unclear where I belonged and I struggled with clinical depression and thoughts of self-doubt. It was my agriculture teachers that created a welcoming environment in the classroom that helped me to feel safe and valued. It is because of these teachers that I have grown into the adult and leader I am today. My agriculture classes were my favorite classes of the day because I felt passionate about the various topics we were learning about. When I would go home I loved teaching my family about everything I had learned and it felt great to teach my aunts and uncles about new topics that they were unaware of. Over the summer I interned with the New Jersey Farm Bureau and was tasked with attending county fairs all over the state in order to share the story of agriculture and New Jersey Farm Bureau. To prepare for these county fairs I had to research and retain information about the Farm Bureau and important topics in agriculture. It was important that I was able to convey this information in a clear and concise manner in order to draw people into the booth. Because of these conversations that occurred I was able to entice many people into joining the Farm Bureau. It is because of my passion for agriculture and my desire to educate others that I am dedicated to becoming an

for four years I have been an active member in,the Edmond FFA and FFCLA.Within these four years I have involved myself in the Edmond FFA Farm Business Management Academic Team and as a goat livestock showmen for two years. I have involved myself in two different Edmond schools FCCLA’s, within all four of these years,  I have become apart of the club officer team, Star Event, been a representative in many District 3 meetings, including the leadership conference. During the summer, for every year for six years I involved myself  in teaching Vacation Bible School, in both Texas and

There’s one decision that I’ve made that I’m still carrying out; meaning, I’m still not certain whether it was a good one or not. My decision was to come to Squaw Valley Academy. I did not want to go to my local high school as the education system wasn’t the best a couple years ago. It still isn’t but occasionally I wonder if I made the right choice. By going through with this decision I have changed a great deal. I have been at this school for almost two years now, and I’m definitely not the same person that arrived here. Going back home I realized how different I was from my old friends, and how much more mature I had become.

When I think about what I could contribute to Florida A&M University based on the knowledge that I do have with your institution is that i’m a extremely committed student who has beliefs that you can do anything that you set your mind to. There may be some times when I may feel discouraged but why must if I feel like that if things aren’t easily handed to you. You must chase your dreams, and when you do that things will slowly fall into place (not exactly how you planned for it to be at times). I learned that through the many obstacles I had to experience to make me the well informed women I am today. The best activity, interest, experience, and achievement in my life was being a Big member of “Big brother, big sister”. Becoming a mentor for

Throughout my high school years I have achieved more than I thought I ever could. I began to get involved with the Evergreen FFA due to my family background of farming. As I got more involved I decided to run for an office and today I am president of the Evergreen FFA and a State Degree recipient. One thing I love about my experience in FFA is getting to help people in need and making our community a better place through all of the community service that we do. For example we go to christmas cheer to help local people in need during the holiday season. We also collect can food items for thanksgiving dinners for the less fortunate in the area.

I seek to join Teach For America because I would not be where I am today if it was not for caring teachers who pushed me into the right direction and validated the idea that I can be a successful student. Growing up my mother and grandmother were both teachers, and hearing their struggles of teaching, I had vowed to never become one. When high school came I was convinced that I was going to join the military and that college was never an option. That was until I met Ms. Mudron, my English teacher who planted a seed in me that grows till this day. My answers to questions that she asked regarding our readings were nothing like the other students, yet they were not wrong, she informed me that I thought outside of the box and that is why I should

The National FFA Organization has meant the most to me in high school. FFA has made me the person I am today. It has taught me premier leadership as I have moved up in the FFA chapter. Also it has helped me become more outgoing than shy like I used to be. By joining FFA and becoming more outgoing I have become more connected to other people in the ag field that I meet from FFA community events and FFA organization events. I went from being shy and going to no events and then I joined FFA. I ventured out of my comfort zone and started going to local FFA event and district events. I venture out further and went to state convention in Lincoln in April my freshman year and have been back every year. I ventured out the furthest I ever have by attending

As I step out onto the field I smack in the face the aroma of the freshly cut grass. I get the sense of being home after a long trip away. It’s great to be home where I know I have fans that will cheer us on. The grounds crew is out working on the field to get it ready for the game later tonight.

If I had to pick on thing that impacted me the most during my high school career, I would have to choose my Dominican Republic mission trips. I got the privilege of serving the Dominicans twice during spring break my junior and senior year. I had served on mission trips in the United States before but I had never been out of the country not even for vacation. Needless to say, the traveler in me was definitely excited about explore a different country and flying over the ocean for the first time. However, this excitement did not compare to the fullness I felt while serving in the Dominican. We had 3 main projects while in the Dominican and each one stretched my faith and my comfort zone in a different way. While we were

My experience in FBLA has been a continuing, life changing journey. I joined FBLA in 7th grade, with no leadership experience. However, I took a bold step and ran for my local middle level chapter’s Treasurer and won. From there, I have served a leadership position, both locally and state, every year. Just because I served these positions, does not mean I am qualified to hold a position on a National Council. It is what I have done, and what I experienced that has helped me grow not only a member, but as a person. Throughout the last 5 years, I have been through many challenges in FBLA. I have had defining accomplishments, like planning and hosting a regional summit with over 100 people attending. And I have had failures that has taught me

Well first of all, I am a well-known resident of Ford Hall and communicate with residents on all floors. I have gotten to know my ARD and RA's very well. As of a matter of fact, a couple of the RA's are my really good friends that I associate with every day. On another note, I am Vice President of Ford Hall Council. One of my major jobs is to bring the other halls closer with Ford Hall. Therefore, I have a meeting with the McFollerton Vice Presidents weekly to discuss events going on our halls and the events we will be hosting. Although I have only hosted two McFollerton events, both of them were successful with a great amount of residents from each hall. With that being said, I also participate with my own hall council quite a bit. We have

Then finally I made it to high school. This was the place where everything I learned up to now would help me. My 9th grade year was really good I met new friends that I still talk to, got good grades but other than that it was a normal year. When I went to 10th grade I was in AOF (Academy of Finance) or Global. At first I was a little optimistic about being in it because I didn’t really know a lot of people but I stayed because I was a little curious about the whole business stuff going on in there. It was a good decision to stay because I really enjoy all the business related work and I am looking forward to even having some sort of a business career later on in life. The teacher that really made an impact on me is the teacher for whom I

In the agricultural community I live in, it was bound to happen. Against my father's will, I woke up at the break of dawn, along with my aunt and a few other women to go work in the field. I jumped out of bed and prepared my belongings. I wore an old pair of jeans and a flannel. To add to my look, I wore tennis shoes and tied a bandana around my neck. I wanted to look the part. My aunt loaded her truck with our lunch boxes and water and we were on our way to work.