Your FFA experience does not have to end with high school. Joining a Collegiate FFA Alumni and Supporters chapter can be a great way to stay involved in FFA.
Read on for why collegiate alumni membership is a great opportunity to expand your FFA experiences.
- Ease into college life.
Connecting with other FFA members at college can make transitioning to college life easier, says Jon Ramsey, professor of agricultural education at Oklahoma State University (OSU) and the OSU Collegiate FFA Alumni and Supporters advisor. It offers a touch of familiarity that serves as a starting place for making friends. You may even find yourself reconnecting with people you already met through state FFA events.
- Stay involved in some of your favorite FFA activities and events.
Collegiate involvement in FFA allows you the chance to experience member activities from a different perspective, says Kallie Wallace, Mississippi State Collegiate FFA Alumni and Supporters secretary. Collegiate alumni and supporters chapters even have their own categories of grants, scholarships and other opportunities that you can get involved in.
- Give back to FFA and the next generation.
Rather than competing in contests or simply attending events, alumni members can be contest judges, coaches and event volunteers. For those preparing for careers as agriculture teachers and FFA advisors, assisting with chapter activities and events helps with the transition to teaching, Ramsey says. You do not have to be an agricultural education major to join a chapter at your college.
- Prepare for a career in agriculture.
Professional development and networking opportunities benefit anyone in any job, Ramsey adds. Chaney Mosley, Ph.D., assistant professor of agricultural education at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) and MTSU Collegiate FFA Alumni and Supporters advisor, says members gain job skills such as collaboration, creativity, communication and critical thinking while developing programs and activities.
- Spread agricultural awareness.
Each collegiate chapter develops its own programs, events and activities, including opportunities to raise community awareness of agriculture and FFA. For example, Mississippi State Collegiate FFA Alumni and Supporters hosts Ag Day on the Drill Field, and MTSU Collegiate FFA supports a Little Free Library that provides agriculture-focused children’s books for the community thanks to a National FFA Alumni and Supporters grant.
- Serve your community.
Living to serve lives on in collegiate FFA alumni and supporters members. During the 2021-22 school year, Mississippi State’s Collegiate FFA Alumni and Supporters conducted a food drive for the campus closet and pantry, gave baked goods to the local fire department on National Firefighters’ Day and wrote Christmas cards for residents at a local nursing home.
Regardless of your postsecondary plans, you can become an alumni member and connect with peers through the Forever Blue Network.
