Wait for the Drop: Lisa Boltz Parliamentary Procedures Specialist

Hello! My name is Lisa Boltz and I am from Jonestown, PA! I am super excited to announce that I am the PSU Teach AG! Parliamentary Procedures Specialist this year at Penn State. Although I know this is a great opportunity my first year as a college student, I can't help but get that feeling you get in your stomach when you are just jumping right on in to something exciting and new!

My life often feels like the feeling you get when you jump from a diving board, when the roller-coaster crests over the largest drop in the tracks, or even when you miss a step on the stairs. I personally call this the “drop” mentality and it seems as though I have been addicted to it my whole life.

The first drop I encountered in life I would compare to that of a roller-coaster cresting the highest peak and plummeting its way to the bottom of the tracks before rising again. I say this because similar to a roller-coaster I was strapped in for the ride and didn’t have a lot of say in where I went. This drop would be my family buying the campground and general store in good old Jonestown, Pennsylvania. I call this a ride because as many entrepreneurs know a business is a business, and it is always full of unknowns. Many people don’t realize from the outside looking in, that a campground is a “24 hour, 7 days a week” business and that meant my parents were always moving, and I became one independent little firecracker as I got older.

I love to try new things and as a high school student I experienced my second drop into the unknown as I entered in the agriculture education classes, little did I know it would be similar to that of a jump off the diving board, you can see where you can go, although you must choose to jump. The descent of soaring through the air consisted of endless public speaking competitions, hilarious FFA conference experiences, nights burning the midnight oil to finish my record books on time, finding a second family in my parliamentary procedure team, and finally earning my spot to serve on the 2014-2015 State FFA Officer team. I had to work hard and prepare to pull off the dive I wanted, but the ride was so fun that I feel the need to go back for more.

Finally, I come to my third huge drop in life and that would be missing my step on the staircase. We’ve all felt the absolutely terrifying experience as it happens and then look back and laugh at our overreaction. I pray that is what is happening currently. I and feeling the terrifying drop into the unknown as a plow my way through tough college courses and grab at any opportunities I see, just as any “good” college student would do. Despite my terror I and extremely excited to start my journey as a college freshmen who plans to major in Agriculture and Extension Education. I am also ecstatic to jump right on in to also being the PSU Teach Ag! Parliamentary Procedure Specialist.

I invite you all to giggle at my stumble down the stairs as long as you all are there to catch me if I truly do land on my rear.  I am truly blessed to be starting this journey with the PSU Teach AG Society, the FFA, and the loving family I have and will grow at Penn State

To contact me feel free to email me at lisaboltz1009@gmail.com