Bright New Doors Open to 467 First Year FFA Members

Bright new doors open to 467 first year FFA members from all across the state of Pennsylvania! As thousands of people gathered in the New Holland Arena at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex on Monday January 9th, 2017 to watch the Pennsylvania FFA Mid-Winter Convention, they had the opportunity to witness 467 lives become inspired to Activate- Purpose, Passion, and Potential.

First year FFA members were asked earlier in the school year to fill out an application to receive a free FFA Jacket through the Pennsylvania FFA Alumni, and if they are selected to receive the jacket they will be a part of the FFA Jacket Ceremony during Mid-Winter Convention. There were over 800 students who had applied to receive this award with 88 chapters from across Pennsylvania participating in the program. This program is rewarding to all the students who participate because the FFA Jacket can open doors to so many new experiences and opportunities within the FFA Organization.

When asked how do you think the jacket campaign went, Krista Pontius Agricultural Educator at Greenwood High School, had responded "Watching the first year members zip up their jackets for the first time is such a rewarding experience for everyone involved in the alumni organization. The months of hard work that goes into the process of the jacket campaign all becomes worth it watching the New Holland Arena flooded with a sea of National Blue and Corn Gold corduroy jackets!"

The opportunity for growth within the jacket campaign is huge, but the growth depends upon the amount of money that can be raised to buy more jackets for deserving first year members. Overall it was a wonderful success in Harrisburg, PA.

To learn more about starting on the path to having a career that makes a positive impact on the live of students across the globe by becoming an agricultural educator, please contact the agricultural teacher education program at teachag@psu.edu. Follow us on Twitter at TeachAgPSU, on Facebook, or on our blog.

Luke Kerstetter

Student Blogger

Twitter Handle: @lmkerstetter96

2020 Agriculture Education Student Teacher