Earning an American FFA Degree is a celebration in itself, but to receive this award the same year your dad is recognized for one? “It was a huge honor,” says 2023 recipient Aaron Sternitzky, who walked across the 96th National FFA Convention & Expo stage one day after his father, Pat, accepted an Honorary American FFA Degree.
“To watch him get his, then he watch me get mine — that was just really cool,” says Pat Sternitzky. “I was more delighted Aaron and I could get it the same year than even getting it in the first place.”
The Past Meets the Present
Pat Sternitzky was nominated for the honorary award, which recognizes individuals who have provided exceptional service, by Wisconsin FFA as a parting thank-you note for maintaining the association and foundation websites for 20 years through his company, USAgNet.com.
The Chili, Wis., alum entered that role with a decade of FFA experiences. After joining the Granton FFA Chapter on his first day of high school in 1991, Pat rose to chapter reporter, then state vice president in 1995. He also served on the very first Wisconsin FFA state convention newsroom staff and placed as a state finalist the first year the agricultural communications proficiency was awarded.
One of his proudest moments, he says, was serving as a national convention delegate as a high school senior. “When I came back the next year as a state officer, I voted on my own idea. That was so neat.”
Marshfield FFA Alumnus Aaron Sternitzky will graduate in May 2025 from the College of the Ozarks with a degree in business administration. He plans to pursue accounting or business operations and continue his involvement in agriculture.
Like his dad, Aaron joined FFA as soon as he could — in seventh grade — and used it to bolster his resume, namely through his agricultural placement supervised agricultural experience at a local agriculture co-op, where he rotated through a variety of departments.
“I learned a lot about efficiency, customer service and the value of hard work,” he says. “I had to take everything I learned, apply it for myself and problem solve” — all skills that, along with his American FFA Degree, he recognizes will serve him anywhere.
In reflecting on the memorable experience, Pat Sternitzky says it served as a special full-circle moment. “In a way, [receiving our degrees] kind of wrapped up both of our FFA careers,” he adds. “It was one of the last FFA things [Aaron will do in FFA], and it was kind of the last thing I got to do, too.”
Tune in Live
From Oct. 23 to Oct. 26, tune in each day to watch FFA Live! From the first gavel drop to Finals Hall presentations, general sessions and more, this Emmy-nominated streaming broadcast service provides an up-close look at all things convention.
