Salinas FFA members with California FFA State Vice President John Dein.
On Jan. 10, 2025, hundreds of FFA members from all over California traveled to Embassy Suites in Seaside, Calif., near the town of Monterey. For two days, FFA members from the South Coast Region of California and beyond participated in the Made for Excellence (MFE) and Advanced Leadership Academy (ALA) conferences.
Both conferences, led by the 2024-25 California FFA state officers, had seven sessions. State President Camille Zavala, State Treasurer Melissa Lua and State Sentinel Joshua Wolford led MFE, while State Vice President John Dein and State Secretary Gianna Gonzalez led ALA.
Sessions covered topics like “Leadership is a Lifestyle” and “Establish Influence.” The conferences also included games, music, time to write in the provided booklets and team challenges. During these sessions, FFA members learned to become effective leaders and work with others to make meaningful connections.
Conference attendees chatted with each other and the state officers during dinner while eating. Salinas FFA members caught up with Zavala and Dein, who visited their chapter in October.
A Salinas FFA member and California FFA State Vice President John Dein trade Bigfoot and #TeachAg pins.
Throughout the first day, I interviewed several FFA members who attended the conference. Some of my favorite quotes from the day include:
- “[My favorite part] is definitely making new friends and new connections, so I can have better connections with different people.” — Lexi, a swine showman and North Salinas FFA Chapter secretary.
- “I signed up for the conference to meet new people and learn new things.” — Evelyn, a North Salinas FFA member and sustainable agriculture science and agricultural mechanics student.
- “I came to check out ALA and work on becoming a higher-up officer.”— Leif, a steer and swine showman from Livermore FFA.
- “[My favorite part] was getting together with friends and learning about leadership.” — Dom, a swine showman from Livermore FFA.
After the first day’s final session, members had time to change into their casual clothes and get ready for the dance, which included songs like “Church Clap,” “Fishin’ in the Dark” and “Party in the USA.”
FFA members dance to the song “Church Clap” by KB.
On the second day, FFA members wore their conference T-shirts and had their final two sessions. During these sessions, they played mini-games with their table groups, sang karaoke, took selfies, signed shirts and then said goodbye to new FFA friends.
Members sign conference shirts after the last session.
Overall, no matter what conference you attend in FFA, you may learn something and have fun!
