Federation officers present opening ceremonies.
There is a first time for everything. For the Tobacco Federation, Jan. 30, 2025, will be remembered as the first Federation Leadership Conference.
“Evolve”
Held at Rosewood High School, FFA members across Wayne County, N.C., gathered to evolve as leaders. Beginning at 4 p.m., members unloaded the buses and entered the gymnasium, greeted by the federation’s eager and excited officer team. Following opening ceremonies and words spoken by past North Carolina FFA State Officer Sydney Whichard, members were divided into groups by grade level.
There were more than 12 workshops for each group to rotate through that covered various topics. For example, 2024-25 North Carolina FFA State Officers Travis Cox and Regan Honeycutt facilitated a workshop about resilience. Others covered careers in agriculture, opportunities at the university level, how to prepare for interviews and more.
“It was really exciting to see this event come to fruition,” Tobacco Federation President Brandon Woodard said. “Being able to pull all this together and see my friends from across the county is really cool, and I am excited to see how this event will evolve in the future.”
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- Workshop focused on personal growth.
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- Sydney Whichard after she presented opening remarks.
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- Federation officers excited for students to arrive.
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- Jacket signing.
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- Junior Torres proud of his NC State logo drawing.
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- Students engaged in a workshop.
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- Federation officers as they facilitate their workshop.
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- Regan Honeycutt and Travis Cox with their workshop about the importance of resilience.
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- Federation Officers during closing ceremonies.
The 2024-25 Tobacco Federation officer team includes:
- President Brandon Woodard
- Vice President Taylor Lee
- Secretary Emma-Scott Hardy
- Treasurer Brian Rodriguez
- Reporter Cheyenne Oliver
- Sentinel Aiyonna Bowden
