As the streets of Indianapolis, Indiana turned national blue over the last seven days, my heart was continually filled with gold.
Last Sunday I arrived at the 92nd National FFA Convention and Expo in Indy. Any other time of the year Indiana simply isn’t a place I would fawn over, but when FFA Way is filled with young, ambitious, agriculturalists in blue corduroy jackets, it’s my happy place. You see when this city is run rampant with passionate, kind, and driven people, there’s no place I’d rather be.
There is something magical about the kind of experience a kid can have at National Convention. There is nothing quite like sitting by 475 of your new best friends and being surrounded by thousands of members and guests who all come together to be present in a moment as one. There’s nothing comparable to looking around Lucas Oil Stadium to see a sea of people, many of whom you’ll never know, but knowing you’re with friends because you zipped up the same blue jackets together that morning. There are no words that can adequately describe the emotion that takes over that 1.8 million square foot arena when the names of six new national officers are announced and you get to watch six people’s wildest dreams come true. There’s no other organization that brings complete strangers together so quickly and so personally. The stranger I sat by for ten seconds during a random session, his name is Harrison McLamb and he’s also from Clinton, Clinton, North Carolina that is. Without the gold stitching across the back of my FFA jacket that reads “ Clinton” and “Arkansas” I would have never made that friend. There’s no comparison to the kind of student the National FFA organization grows. The intelligence, grace, creativity, talent, and heart of an FFA member are like no other. The number of event staff working this week that told me that their favorite time to work is when the FFA kids come to town was astonishing.
Now I know I’ve used a lot of big positive words to describe what this week looks and feels like for a kid in a blue jacket, but I say them because The National FFA organization has positively been the biggest blessing in my life. The kind of perspective one leaves Indianapolis with gives you the validation that there’s no dream, goal, or aspiration you shouldn’t strive for. More than that it gives you a community of people who want to see you reach that goal and want to watch you live that dream. FFA introduces you to people who will celebrate your success and aid in your growth no matter who you are or where you come from. On Saturday afternoon when I watched six college kids sprint onto the main stage full of joy, I cheered and stood in admiration, with tears running down my cheeks for six people I’ve never even met. But that’s what FFA can do in a moment. The unity, the pride, and the joy you embrace when you stand in the convention hall are simply unreal. Standing amongst all of that as you watch six strangers become a team and know that they will change the lives of the 700,00 + FFA members they will reach in the next year, well that's awe aspiring to me.
So if you ever see a caption or hear a kid referring to National Convention as “life-changing” and you wondering if attending The National FFA Convention & Expo is really that big of an experience… well, I’ll tell you this. My experience has been pure gold.
With a heart that bleeds blue + gold,
<3 Brooke
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