Each year around the same time in October, the National FFA organization floods into the downtown streets of Indianapolis for their National Convention bringing with them over 70,000 kids and advisors to the city.
While attending, FFA members gain valuable knowledge around the agricultural community and get to have fellowship with other FFA members. The Expo Hall, located in the Indianapolis Convention Center, has hundreds of booths for members to visit and explore a variety of opportunities. Some of the booths are colleges such as Oklahoma State University, Huntington University, Iowa State University, and Indiana’s own Purdue University. Also located in the expo hall are a plethora of businesses and trades that members can think about as possible career opportunities. These include, but are not limited to, BASF, Army National Guard, CASE, Ford Motor Company, and Corteva. The expo hall is a fantastic opportunity for FFA members to see real world applications to the organization they participate in.
More activities of the National Convention include General Sessions located in Lucas Oil Stadium, a shopping mall in the Convention Center, and businesses around the area host members to see their agricultural production. At the National Convention, awards are presented for agriscience, Career Development Events, and Leadership Development Events. On the final day, Saturday, the new National Officer Team is introduced. Among the public speakers, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins spoke to members during one of the general sessions.
This year, Mooresville FFA attended the National Convention on Wednesday and Thursday, October 29th and 30th. With 32 members in the chapter, nearly all of them attended one of the two days, with some of the sophomores and juniors attending both days. Mooresville FFA Vice President Junior Emmaleigh Girman attended both days.
“FFA National Convention is a really fun experience. You get to see many other chapters, colleges, programs and learn about what you can do differently for your community and chapter,” Girman said.
Treasurer Sophomore Nolyn Squillace agreed with Girman, and said that he realizes the opportunities that it can make for FFA members.
“It is an amazing learning experience for everyone and also shows many opportunities for colleges and careers,” Squillace said.
FFA Advisor Brad Gillum loves the National Convention not only for his students, but for advisors as well.
“Advisors get to see new products, and educational ideas being demonstrated, as well as advancement in agriculture techniques. There are seminars and sessions that allow for people to talk about ideas, which is always good for improving classroom experiences,” Gillum said.
The National Convention doesn’t just revolve around kids in FFA, either. Advisors look forward to traveling with their students and learn new techniques and how the agricultural world is changing for the better. It is a great bonding moment for Advisors and members to further explore what identities their chapter wants, and how their chapter should operate in the future.
Between attending seminars and general sessions, to roaming the expo hall, the National FFA Convention brings together people from all across the United States for one common goal: Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live, and Living to Serve. With the National FFA Organization scheduled to host the National Convention in Indianapolis through the year 2040, Hoosiers should start getting prepared to see a sea of blue jackets every year.
Isaac Craig is the President of the Mooresville FFA Chapter
