by Josely Paredes, Station Camp FFA
From memorizing, standing up right, meeting new people and watching the inspiring sessions, the Tennessee FFA State Convention drives many to not only become leaders but become successful. But what would one want to become successful in? As many of us here are attempting to memorize those last words or equations, these competitions are what drive us toward success. Win or lose, we all have these memories to hold on for years to come.
“My name is Josely Paredes and I believe that the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation can implement this plan in order to answer the question ‘Who will feed us?’ in order to support our future agriculturists.” That was the ending sentence of what I thought was to be a successful presentation for Agriculture Communications. My teammates and I just had that feeling of knowing we would advance. But sadly, we did not.
Did our stomachs drop to the floor? Yes. Were we disappointed? Yes, of course. Did we become unmotivated? No.
Even though we might have not made it to the grand stage, that does not mean we cannot continue on and improve from our mistakes. The memories made and the time spent with others has brought me closer to my fellow peers. We practiced together. We presented together. And we lost together. But we never lost hope.
Success is the accomplishment of one’s goals. We drive ourselves toward success through competition in the FFA. I have won and I have lost. I have cried tears of happiness and I have cried tears of sadness. But that will not stop me. Losing one competition or several can not and will not stop me from achieving my goals and becoming successful.
So if it will not stop me, why would it ever stop you?
