It happens all the time. I’m going about my day, preparing stories for FFA New Horizons and FFA.org, and BAM! I learn about an FFA member’s story that must be told. One of the things I appreciate most is a clear connection between FFA and a future career. In many cases, FFA experiences turn into passions, which turn into areas of study, which turn into careers.
Victoria Tovar is on that journey.
A recent graduate of William H. Turner Technical Arts High School in Miami, Fla., and an alumnus of the Miami FFA Chapter, Tovar developed a love of animals early in life. “It’s always been any animal I see; I instantly want to care for them,” she says. “It was always a vision I had.”
When Tovar was in fifth grade, her counselor learned of her dream to become a veterinarian and printed her a list of high schools in Miami with programs that prepare students for careers in animal science. Top of the list was the William H. Turner Technical Arts High School, which offers a veterinary assisting program. A few years later, that’s right where she landed.
From there, Tovar’s passion for animals, which expanded to include cattle and other livestock, took off. So did her involvement in FFA. She served as a Miami FFA Chapter officer for two years and organized workshops to pass on lessons she learned in the show barn. (She’s no slouch when it comes to showing livestock. She and her first steer, an Angus-Charolais cross, won grand champion at the county fair in 2022.)
Now in her first semester at Miami Dade College, Tovar is pursuing her dream of becoming a veterinarian. Because of her FFA experiences, she wants to be a large-animal veterinarian and hopes to someday have a farm where urban students can go to learn about animal agriculture and show cattle.
“For me, it really was like this FFA jacket made me feel like I was where I belong,” Tovar says.
Learn more about Tovar’s journey in “Finding Ag in the City”.
In this issue, you’ll also find articles about historic FFA traditions, national convention prep, STEAM careers and more.
Enjoy, and have a fantastic fall and winter!
Justin Davey
Editor, FFA New Horizons
ffanewhorizons@agriculture.com
