At FFA, we believe that what we grow changes how the world grows.
The Forever Blue Network is about reconnecting with those who made a difference in your life, reaching out to those you can impact now and finding a new world of opportunities. As a result, we are launching a new series called Five Questions to explore the lives of Forever Blue Network members.
Among other things, we’ll find out:
- Who they are.
- Where they are now.
- What do they do.
- How they do it.
- Why.
This month’s Five Questions features Ella Bowling. Ella is currently STEM Outreach Director at Northern Kentucky University, where she also earned her MBA. She is an award-winning educator who excels in innovative instructional practices and loves everything FFA.
Q1: Tell us about how FFA made an impact on your life.
Ella: Growing up as the kid of an ag teacher, FFA has literally always been a part of my life. I don’t remember ever not being around FFA. I knew from an early age that FFA would certainly be part of my high school experience and could not wait for the day when I would get my own blue jacket. From public speaking to networking and, of course, lifelong friendships, FFA truly does make a remarkable impact on the students involved in this amazing organization. I went from being a member my freshman year to taking the gavel as chapter president my senior year and even as a regional FFA officer. I went on to have a career as an award-winning science teacher and now as the director of STEM outreach for Northern Kentucky University’s Center for Integrative Natural Science and Mathematics. FFA provided me with leadership skills that I would never have gained in other student organizations, and for that, I am eternally grateful. Not only that, FFA gave me a deep respect for agriculture and our nation’s farmers. I didn’t intend on growing up to become a farmer, but in 2003, my husband and I purchased our farm. Now we have grown that into a thriving ag-business direct marketing beef and pork from the animals we raise on our farm along with a wide array of vegetables in summer months at farmers markets and through other wholesale outlets.
Q2: If you were on a desert island, what is one thing you would have to take with you?
Ella: As a pig farmer, I know that the most versatile meat source you can get is a pig! A bred gilt would definitely be on the top of my list. Pigs are great foragers and survive well in almost any environment. Having my own herd of “beach” pigs would provide me an endless resource for food.
Q3: Did you attend state/National FFA Conventions? What was your favorite part?
Ella: Every single year! Freshman year through senior year, attending state and National FFA Convention was the highlight of my school year. I loved meeting new friends from across Kentucky and across the U.S. In my freshman year of high school, National FFA Convention took place in Kansas City, Mo. (before being moved to Louisville), and we got to ride a bus from Kentucky to Kansas with four other FFA chapters and tour agriculture sites along the way. The friendships and memories made on that trip will definitely last a lifetime.
Q4: If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
Ella: Telepathy with animals. If I could know what hogs and cows are thinking when we are working them, it sure would make a farmer’s life easier.
Q5: What was your favorite part about being in FFA?
Ella: I think my favorite part was definitely having my father as my ag teacher. He will be the first to tell you that he was probably harder on me than any of his other students, but I reaped the benefits of that extra push. I was able to win awards with my SAE (that I had to do on my own), go on to hold local and regional offices, and attend state and national conventions as a delegate. Dad was certainly a great teacher, and I think I learned a lot as an educator seeing how he interacted with his students and the love and respect they had for him. He treated every single one of his students like they were his own, even if it meant some discipline and hard lessons.
If you would like to be considered for an upcoming Five Questions, email Joanne Sergi, jsergi@ffa.org, with your request.
