Austin Bell selected as FFA State President

BY JULIE ROSE

Austin Bell has enjoyed a successful 4-H and FFA career throughout his academic years at Our Lady of Miracles Catholic School and Gustine High School. He is no stranger to achieving his goals and pursuing his dreams. And now, he is about to venture on a tremendous journey that he earned by being true to himself and his ideals, following his passion for FFA and the motto Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live, Living to Serve.

The latter being his personal goal. His new journey begins right away and he is excited to begin.

Austin graduated from GHS on June 2. In about two weeks he will leave his family and home to move into the house at the California FFA center in Galt where he will live with five other state officers for a year. The team will travel the state, visiting chapters on campuses throughout the six FFA state regions. They will also host leadership conferences and training events helping to guide members to self-discovery and building their strengths. They will meet with leaders in the Agriculture industry and share what they learn with the FFA community. They will serve that community in preparation for the State Conference in the spring of 2024 where a new slate of officers will be elected and their own adventure will start coming to a close.

Being a state officer for California FFA is a tremendous honor and a huge commitment. Only six members of the over 100, 000 members statewide receive the honor each year. And it’s quite the process.

Applications are submitted months before the actual election. Zoom interviews are held to wind the field of candidates down to 49, then down to the 30 that proceed through live interviews at the state conference. Each morning starts with interview sessions and each day the finalist list is reduced. When the final 12 are determined, the general membership gets involved.

Austin remembers being behind the stage of the arena waiting to be called upfront to answer questions in front of the members. Keep in mind, when applying to be a state officer, no position is specified. Until the final announcement, Austin had no idea, if he was elected, in what capacity he would be serving. He only knew he wanted to serve in whatever position was meant for him to fill.

“It’s enough of an honor just to be a state officer,” Austin shared. He chose to apply for office because he wants to serve. “And this is a way to fulfill that life’s purpose.” On a separate personal level he looked forward to what he could learn and the people he’d meet that could justify him taking a year off of college and possibly earn- ing an income.

Sunday night, the last session of the conference, the 12 finalists stand in front of the packed arena, including the delegates who vote for the slate of six officers they want to serve this year. Two candidates are called forward for a particular office. The winner is announced. Another two called forward and another officer declared. This continued and Austin hadn’t been called yet. A couple rounds and he knew he was running for the office of President. The moment became somewhat surreal as the announcement was made and he realized he had just been elected as the California FFA State President.

The six new officers were given their new jackets, the crowd applauded wildly, confetti dropped and the flash from cameras came from all angles. In that moment, Austin recalled, he felt an overwhelming feeling of excitement and confidence. He had been elected President by his peers. He also felt relief from the process that had been exhilarating, but also draining and exhausting. He had tears. Tears of joy, tears of relief, tears of amazement. He recalls zipping up his new jacket and straightening up. He enjoyed the unbelievable moment and is grateful for the opportunities now before him.

Officially, Austin took office that day which was March 19. However, the retiring officers carried on some of the duties to allow the new officers to finish school. They will report to the state center June 18 and get to work. And that means seriously, get to work. There is a lot to learn, to plan, to organize in actually a short time before the new school year begins and chapters are expecting to see them on their campus. First thing on the to do list, Austin said, is to dream big for the next state conference. A theme is chosen that will be used all year leading into the conference. The team will work together to address the question of what CA FFA needs to hear, needs to learn, this year, and from there develop their theme.

This summer they will create the workshop that will be used when visiting chapters. They will review the chapter applications and plan their schedules to visit as many as possible once school is back in session. They will go on industry tours and meet with industry leaders. They will attend the ag teachers conference. They will guide regional leadership. They will plan the annual leadership conferences for younger members and the Advanced Leadership program for upperclassmen, leading up to the state conference in spring.

“My goal is for us to be on that stage as one team reflecting a genuine love for one another,” Austin described. “After a year of working together, a common goal of making an impact on as many people as possible, knowing we’ve done all we could together as a team, building a positive and true relationship, should all be visible when they take the stage next spring.”

Austin is ready for the leadership role of President but he sees his duties no more important as the other offices. He believes they truly are a team and although the president has some extra responsibilities, each member is of the same value. They are a team of six. Their job is to serve others; they are humble spirits.

As state officers, Austin believes they are servant leaders. They should be seen as approachable by others, be friendly and courteous, personable, relatable, and genuine. State officers can be intimidating to members, especially younger members. Austin sees the team as responsible to create the tone when they visit schools where members feel welcome to ask them questions and want to share their ideas.

The officers will often travel in pairs so more chapters can be visited in a region. Everyone will reassemble in between and share their experiences before preparing for the next event.

The year should be one for the books, a chance of a lifetime, one to remember forever. “If I helped at least one kid know who they are, I will be satisfied with my year in office,” Austin shared.

FFA is a program that benefits every student. There is something for everyone and Austin hopes to inspire students to experience all that FFA has to offer. He hopes to make a difference in support of the ag industry.

Austin Bell is the second state officer elected from Gustine FFA in the history of the chapter. George Schmidt served as State Reporter for 1956-57.