The National FFA Convention and Expo: A Blue and Gold Evolution

Throughout my life I have experienced the National FFA Convention and Expo a total of four times; as a senior in high school, as a Pennsylvania FFA State Officer, as a Pennsylvania FFA Delegate, and as a sophomore pursuing Agricultural and Extension Education with The Pennsylvania State University. Each trip entailed around sixteen hours in a van, a week away from home, a chance to be surrounded by blue corduroy (quite literally for three out of four of those trips), and an entirely unique experience. In joining the National FFA Organization, I was told of the incredible opportunities, growth, and brotherhood that I would be blessed with, but I was never made aware of the Blue and Gold Evolution I would personally experience until heading home from the 92nd National FFA Convention and Expo a week ago.

My first year attending the National FFA Convention and Expo, I went with my local chapter to experience the organization that gave me a passion for Agricultural Education at the national level. While I did not compete, I gained a true understanding of the scope of  FFA, made friends from across the nation, and grew closer to the members of my chapter. I could feel myself being swept up in the atmosphere of fun and fellowship as I collected signatures from one member from each US state and territory, danced during sessions, and toured a few sponsors local to Indianapolis. While I had felt a part of something larger when I first joined the Elizabethtown FFA Chapter, being at the National FFA Convention and Expo gave me tangible evidence of my individual importance in a united purpose as an FFA member.

The second milestone in my Blue and Gold Evolution built upon my newfound sense of belonging. I was a State Officer, and after studying and preparing to be blessed with the opportunity of a lifetime, after reflecting on how the National FFA Organization had taken my shy disposition and transformed it into a passionate confidence, and after feeling the rush of ecstatic joy when my name was announced as part of the new team, I was back at the National FFA Convention and Expo in an Association jacket. While I did not expect to have the opportunity to return to National Convention after graduating, I felt more a part of the organization than I had in high school. I attended every session, contributed to the delegate process, made friends with State Officers from across the nation, and was greeted by Pennsylvania FFA members with excitement. In short, I felt as if I had reached an importance that I had never had before. Not only was I part of a united purpose in FFA, but I could feel the weight of my year of service through a lack of sleep and a heart full of the friendships, memories, and opportunities that I made in that short week.

Retiring from the 2017-2018 Pennsylvania FFA State Officer Team was the most emotional experience of my life. I was overjoyed for the newly elected team and the passions and talents that they would get to experience and share with Pennsylvania FFA, but I was sad to be letting go of a position that showed me the working relationship between love and service. So, when I applied and was selected to serve as a Pennsylvania FFA Delegate with my teammate Thomas Gabel and the 2018-2019 Pennsylvania FFA State Officer Team, another opportunity to enjoy National Convention in the midst of the chaos of my freshman year was a pleasant surprise. Once more I was able to discuss the future of FFA through the delegate process, form new friendships, receive my American Degree, and talk to different supporters of the National FFA Convention. After struggling through my first semester of college at Penn State Harrisburg, completely disconnected from Agricultural Education, a week at the National FFA Convention and Expo allowed me to see the faces of students who won a Career or Leadership Development Event after months of hard work, cheer on members that I knew personally, and admire the dedication that each of the advisors present had for their students. In short,  I got to reconnect with the reasons I was pursuing a career as an Agricultural Educator.

After three years of experiencing a Blue and Gold Evolution at the National FFA Convention and Expo, I returned for the first time this year and walked the streets of Indianapolis without my blue jacket. While I did get the opportunity to participate in my first Parliamentary Procedure competition at the National ATA Conclave, I felt saddened at first; disconnected from the organization that I fell in love with during my sophomore year of high school. However, as I bonded with my Agricultural Education family, caught up with a few old friends, and watched the members around me realize their own individual importance to FFA's united purpose, I respected the feeling of separation that came over me. While some FFA members evolve to work directly in agriculture, I realized last week that my Blue and Gold Evolution led me to feel the humble disconnect of a future Agricultural Educator. Though I no longer feel like an FFA member, I am proud of this newfound separation, because FFA is no longer about the relationships that I will make and opportunities I will take, it is about them, those students beginning their own Blue and Gold Evolutions, and what they will do for the future of agriculture.

Taylor Halbleib

Agricultural and Extension Education

Class of 2022