The ADM FFA Chapter visited Indianapolis, Indiana for the 2023 National FFA Convention. The convention began on November 1st and ended on the 4th. ADM High School sent 14 students along with Mrs. Gettler and an additional chaperone. This is an annual convention of FFA members nationwide. It’s the largest youth convention in the country with over 90,000 FFA members from every state and the Virgin Islands in attendance. It has been held in various locations over the past 96 years, but this year, it was held at Lucas Oil Stadium.
During the week, students got the opportunity to attend learning sessions with thousands of other students. Current National FFA Officers gave knowledgeable speeches including guest speakers that discussed personal life experiences. Some motivational speakers encouraged students to become more involved in their own school’s organization. Their first keynote speaker, Juan Bendaña, brought up a very significant message. He talked about how it’s most important to be the version of you that you want to be, not the version that is expected of you. This means that you should set your own goals for yourself instead of setting them for you. After speaking with an ADM FFA Officer, Payton Taylor, she said Bendaña also mentioned how the FFA way allows us to be ourselves in our true version. It gives us an opportunity to not worry about fitting into a certain mold. She believes that this message is very important for everyone to hear.
In their free time at the convention, they had plenty of time to explore the Career Show. Here, they were able to seek out the numerous job opportunities in FFA. There were booths from John Deere, NASA, Dewalt, and many others. During the evening, FFA scheduled shows including a concert from Lainey Wilson with Dillion Carmichael, the World’s Toughest Rodeo, and a hypnotist. Some highlights at the end of the week were watching the induction of new national FFA members and a student from Iowa being selected.
Taylor also said that getting to experience the first general session with thousands of other FFA members was her favorite part. Along with that, she enjoyed taking various tours on the second day which showed how agriculture is everywhere and how it differs from what is seen in Iowa. Overall, this was an amazing event that ADM students got to attend and learn from and they look forward to returning to Indianapolis next year.
