Brandon Hudson

Living in “rural fringe” Georgia my whole life has exposed me to agriculture from a very young age. My interest in agriculture only intensified as I entered high school and gained the ability to enroll in agricultural classes. One of the three parts of agricultural education is FFA. As a freshman, my high school chapter had a new FFA advisor that was taking over a chapter that previously had not done much in terms of participation in career development events (CDEs) or activities in general. Over my four years in high school under this advisor, our chapter went from being insignificant to gaining recognition on the local, state, and even national level. Even though I was a member that contributed, by the time I had seen the value and rewards of being actively involved in the chapter, it was my senior year. Although it was so late in my high school career, I competed in two CDEs, one of which we placed second in the state, and at the time, that was the highest Apalachee FFA had ever placed in a CDE. Watching my advisor try to hide his nervousness before the results were announced, and the pure joy that overtook him after, is an image that remains crystal clear. Overall, FFA taught me much more than agriculture; it showed me the potential that can lie hidden both in organizations and people. Along with this, FFA introduced me and helped to connect me to two of my closest friends and dozens of others. Despite my time as a member of that chapter being over, the memories, experiences, and friends I had and made during that time persist.