There 's No Family Like Show Family

I never thought I would be labeled an outsider, a misfit even. As I trudged my way through the halls of my small town high school, I would endure the gazing pairs of eyes, that belonged to my peers, followed by whispering and often times some laughter. I always used zone out during those repetitive speeches and commercials about the effects of gossiping and rumors; never did I imagine that one day I would be on the receiving end of of the everyday potshot. Growing up I was always the center of attention, the one everyone yearned to be friends with, never was I the antisocial child in the corner with nowhere to turn… not until high school. They say high school changes you. They say high school accounts for some of the greatest years of

Hailing from the Sunshine State, the agriculture industry where I am from is a bit different from those in other areas. Florida is home to hordes of citrus trees, acres of ornamental foliage production, and the horse, cut fern, and caladium capitals of the world, with some other assorted crops sprinkled in. Agriculture in my backyard is different from that of other places, and through my involvement in the AFA Animal Institute, I desire to increase my own knowledge and horizons in agriculture, not only from the institute’s programming itself, but through networking and conversing with other students and industry professionals.

Individuality and dissent are discouraged. But the rules of high school turn out not to be the rules of life. Often the high school outsider becomes the more successful and admired adult. The definitions of masculinity and femininity go through sufficient transformation to make the game of popularity in high school an embarrassment. ” Life is not a popularity contest, though in high school it is portrayed as one.

If you were to walk into a high school lunchroom, what is the first thing you would see? Groups, cliques, friend circles, and separations. Tables split up in detached formations, almost completely unaware of the other surrounding pupils nearby. The most common groups in high school are the populars and the outcasts; the kids who have endless friends, engage in team sports, and meet the ideal teenage standards, against the ones who are quiet, solitary, and unconventional. The ones that are outcasts fall into the second description. They don’t line up with society's norms, therefore they tend to be looked upon as bizarre and atypical. Outsiders are too often misjudged and misunderstood by their peers because they have a different

The College of Agriculture at Kansas State University has been overwhelmingly welcome and inviting to me as a high school student, to a potential wildcat, and a new freshman at K-State. This warm welcome has left me with a feeling to give back and hopefully provide other potential students with the same emotions that I have always left with after talking about the college of agriculture. The best way to give back is to be a Agriculture Ambassador and participate in the training program. This will give me the best tools to teach others about the numerous opportunities through K-State and specifically in the College of Agriculture.

To a sixth grade Gabrielle Norris, talking to an entire school at a pep rally would have been impossible. To an eighth grade Gabrielle Norris, dressing like a princess and standing on a football field to be recognized would have been preposterous. As a senior now, I wish I had done the things that I wanted to do in my intermediate and early secondary school years. I was holding myself back. I was unhappy because of my circumstance, but did not know how to talk about it. Social anxiety runs within my family’s genetics, but I overcame it with a simple speech that changed my life forever.

Meeting people who understood how my personality functioned during high school made me realize where I really belong. Not to mention, those people would soon become family; our little non judgmental, liberated, enthusiastic community. Maturity hit us furiously as high school passed. During my years in high school is where I really started realizing the plenary concept of a truly unique identity. Like Armstrong states in paragraph one, line 5 ”when you’re in high school your chosen subculture is your escape--the place where people actually get you, where you don’t have to pretend (as much) all the time”(87)”. My chosen subculture consisted of being myself and not worrying about others opinion but my own. Being able to have friend’s that understood

In high school we think that everything matters. Yes, in the long run the huge decisions we make do matter, but who you date, and what sport you’re in, may not matter in the real world. We all believe that we belong to a certain…’cliche’. When in reality that’s just who we decide to be friends with. As for me some may say i'm not the most popular and that i'm lacking style, putting me in the ‘geek/lameo’ category. People need to realize that labels don’t matter.

As a result, I completely disregarded the traditional dough, sauce, cheese recipe and developed my own from scratch. I defied stereotypes through living authentically and accentuating my dough, the foundation of my life, with rich tomato sauce and a combination of complementing toppings. According to my circumstances, I was prejudged as lesser because my mom had me at 19, or destined to be troublesome for being consistently being passed between the broken homes of my two parents. Even within high school, my peers, teachers, and adults persistently pinned me in as a cheerleader, not an honors student; I did both. I was pep commissioner for ASB, yet I took on a neuroscience internship at

From about the fourth grade all the way up to the seventh, I spent my summers toiling on that one-twenty acre piece of land. Many of the experiences that I have there play a significant role in who I am today. Over the four summers, I watched my grandfather’s farm transition from growing organic produce to farming livestock. The tasks that go along with both of these types of farming are demanding, and I faced with a few of them. I can recall two

As an alumnus, I take the time to give back to youth agricultural programs that help young people to understand and experience agriculture. I volunteer with a local 4-H club, assisting kids with their own projects, and coach 4-H meats and poultry judging teams that teach the youth agricultural knowledge and consumer decision making skills. I also take part in College Aggies Online, a program that gets college students “agvocating” for animal agriculture online and in person about animal agriculture. Additionally, through my internship this summer with my state’s Extension service, I had the opportunity to interact with consumers and agricultural producers to help them better understand agricultural and livestock

Farming is a type of career that few people decide to pursue. It requires a person to work long, arduous hours in many different types of circumstances. Many people infer that farming is too difficult for anyone to succeed. For this reason, they choose an easier career to make a living. But many fail to understand the importance that farming has in everyone’s lives. This job helps revitalize the United States economy. It also provides some people with a source of income. Most of all, it helps the world receive healthier foods. To become a successful farmer that impacts the world, one must dedicate time and effort to solve potential problems. This action creates skill, skill produces experience, and experience generates success. A farmer must decide what agricultural field he or she wants to pursue, how he or she will accomplish these fields, and the impact that he or she wants to make.

Here’s why I picked farm and ranch management for my career. I have always been around cows, tractors and the farm since I was little. I loved going to the farm and riding in the tractor and four-wheeler. I started to grow a passion for farming and it just kept growing and growing and it’s growing so big that I want to turn it into a profession and do it everyday. Being out on the farm and working is so much fun and being around the cows and getting in the barn to get milked and bedding them and feeding the cows everyday is fun but it’s a lot of work. You need to be motivated to work on the farm and do the dirty work to get it all done. You will put in long days and hours during the planting, tilling and harvest season.

As a high school student struggling to cope with the demands and commitments that life sets on me, it is often easy to lose the essence of “the me.” With the pressure of school, family and friends, and extracurriculars, I often neglect my hobbies, interests, and getting to know “the me.” Looking back at freshman year, my life was a cityscape, active and vibrant. I was just another typical high school student conquering life’s challenges. With pride, I reached certain goals that I believed made me the “perfect” student: Red Cross: check, debate team: check, action team: check, peer transitions: check, Big Brother Big Sister: check, honor societies: check. Was I forgetting anything? Who needs friends, downtime, sleep and food? It turns out that

When I was 6 months old, my mom and dad were bickering and when my mom was fed up, she threw my oatmeal at his face. After all the commotion, he stormed out, leaving all his stuff behind for us to keep. I have not seen my dad since i was 10 years old. I really don't like to talk about him. Let's talk about my favorite family members:my mom, grandma, and sister.