By Jack Lingenfelter, National FFA Southern Region Vice President
Growth comes from tension. A rubber band, when stretched, becomes bigger and more flexible. The same principle applies to leaders — challenges and pressures help you grow and become more capable. My mentor once gave me a rubber band and used it to teach me an important lesson: growth comes from pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone.
I now have the privilege of pushing my own boundaries and comfort levels as one of six elected national officers leading the National FFA Organization. It is a huge honor to represent and serve our more than 1 million members across the U.S., Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands as the Southern Region Vice President.
Through this opportunity, as I travel around the country and beyond, I hope to inspire other FFA members to seek growth and challenges that will make them stronger, more resilient, and better equipped to serve their families, communities and the world. I recently returned from Japan, where we engaged with Future Farmers of Japan in an “agricultural” exchange. This week, as we celebrate National FFA Week from February 15-22, I am traveling throughout Pennsylvania to visit with FFA members at schools and chapter events, facilitate and present student workshops, and share keynote messages. FFA has been a significant part of my life since taking my first Intro to Ag class in middle school in Coffee County, and it has shaped me into who I am. FFA has provided me with countless opportunities that span the globe, friendships that will last a lifetime, and connections that will surely support and sustain me in my career endeavors. Like many FFA members and alumni, agriculture has been a part of my family for generations, going back to my grandparents who were tobacco farmers here in Georgia. But the beautiful thing about FFA is that we also
serve thousands of members who don’t come from a family farm or raise animals, and the organization is equally impactful and life-changing to those members too.
National FFA Week gives our more than one million members, as well as alumni and supporters, the opportunity to come together with the common goal of sharing FFA’s value and impact from their own perspective. This year’s FFA Week will also include the 10th Annual Give FFA Day on Thursday, February 20. During the 24 hours of giving, the National FFA Organization has the goal of raising $1.5 million. The money raised supports special programs and events, provides iconic FFA blue jackets to students, supplements travel costs for career and leadership opportunities, and pays for teacher support and resources.
I can attest that these are dollars well given and well spent. I have seen first-hand how FFA has shaped so many lives like my own and helps develop the future of agriculture, an industry we all rely on for food, fuel, clothing, and other essentials. I look forward to seeing the impact FFA is having in communities throughout Pennsylvania and how our students are making an impact by Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live, and Living to Serve.