Emma Mendez (second from right) and the 2022-23 Tennessee state FFA officers represented FFA at the 2023 American Farm Bureau Convention.
Emma Mendez, program manager for National FFA Alumni and Supporters, is enthusiastic about working with former FFA members and has a passion for agriculture.
Beyond her full-time job with FFA, Mendez runs her own business growing, selling and arranging specialty-cut flowers.
She’s also a proud supporter of FFA, citing the multitude of opportunities for members and alumni within the organization as one of the reasons she contributes financially to the National FFA Foundation’s annual fund.
After all, Mendez knows what it’s like to discover a future in agriculture. Growing up on a small hobby farm, she had some experience with agriculture but craved more. She was involved in 4-H and then became an FFA member at Western Boone FFA in Indiana.
In fact, she transferred more than 20 miles to Western Boone from her previous school that didn’t offer agricultural education.
“Taking ag classes and becoming involved in FFA broadened my horizons within the ag industry,” said Mendez. “I really think that’s where my horticulture and plant background started.
Mendez and her brother Sam attended the 2014 National FFA Convention & Expo in Louisville, Ky.
“FFA helped improve my life, in terms of setting me up for success and getting those life skills that I apply every day.”
She hears much of the same from other FFA Alumni and Supporters.
“A lot of them say that they are pursuing something they love but never would have imagined because FFA gave them that exposure and those opportunities,” she said.
As program manager, Mendez oversees New Century Farmer (NCF), an annual FFA conference for production agriculturists aged 18-24.
Thanks to generous support from donors and corporate partners, this marks the first year the National FFA has awarded grants to assist with travel expenses to the NCF conference.
“We have 10 grant recipients,” she said. “This is financial assistance for young people to be able to come to this conference and meet other ag producers, network, and take back what they learn to their own operations.
“It fills my cup knowing that I am supporting FFA members,” said Mendez. “Even if you’re not an alum but are a supporter, there’s a feeling that you get knowing that you are helping FFA members because you want them to succeed.”
