Since being installed on June 28, 2024, during the 95th North Carolina FFA State Convention, the six individuals on the newly elected state officer team have undergone five consecutive weeks of training, conferences and meetings.
“It’s been a BUSY summer,” says 2024-25 North Carolina FFA State Secretary Regan Honeycutt.
In describing his year of service so far, 2024-25 North Carolina FFA State Vice President Walter Moore said, “The train took off and didn’t stop.”
One week after being installed, the officers arrived for base camp at the North Carolina FFA Center in White Lake, where “We learned how to effectively work as a team by assessing our individual strengths and worked on how to improve our facilitation skills during workshops,” Moore says.
Then, they flew to Washington, D.C., for the weeklong State Officer Summit training in preparation for National FFA Convention & Expo.
“State Officer Summit is a time for all state officers nationwide to join together and learn how to successfully be a leader,” says Honeycutt. “The main focus was learning how to be a good advocate.”
During their downtime, the officers toured historic sites and “bonded as a team in the big city.”
North Carolina FFA state officers touring Washington, D.C., while attending State Officer Summit.
At summit, it was decided that 2024-25 North Carolina FFA State President Travis Cox will be the vice chair for committee four during national convention. Committee 4 will evaluate the purpose and function of regions within the organization. Additionally, 2024-25 North Carolina FFA State Vice President Carson Park will be the secretary of Committee 5, which will focus on student input on the delivery of national-level competitive events.
Upon their return home, the team returned to the North Carolina FFA Center at White Lake to prepare for the State Leadership Conference (SLC) that took place two days later. SLC is a weeklong leadership training directed toward chapter officer teams. “I could see myself and our members grow as the week progressed,” says Moore.
SLC attendees gather for a photo at the North Carolina FFA Center in White Lake.
Once SLC concluded, the team took a few days to prepare workshops for the Regional Leadership Preparation Experience (ROPE), which would begin the following Tuesday. That same week, they also attended a corporate visit with Syngenta.
This marked the end of their summer officer experience, as many of them began moving into their college dorms the following week.
When asked what he’s most excited about in the upcoming year, Moore said, “The little things and building connections daily.” He also wants to remind FFA members across the state about a common quote used at SLC: “Rome wasn’t built in a day, neither were we.”
The state officer team is settling into college life and preparing for upcoming Regional Leadership Conferences held across the state.
