(Indianapolis, IN) – During a busy first day of the 97th National FFA Convention & Expo in downtown Indianapolis, Hoosier Ag Today caught up with the South Decatur FFA Chapter and spoke with Brooklyn Ortman, a sophomore at South Decatur High School south of Greensburg.
She shared that she initially became a member of FFA because of her family’s legacy and connection with the organization.
“My dad, my grandpa, and my uncles were all a part of FFA, and so it’s just a family thing,” says Brooklyn. “I just thought it would really be a fun opportunity, and I found out that I really liked it.”
She says this is her first time to the National FFA Convention FFA & Expo, and she described what it was like seeing 70,000 other FFA members from across the U.S. as they poured into the Indiana Convention Center.
“I just thought it was a really beautiful thing—seeing everybody coming together for one thing and that’s their love of farming.”
Brooklyn says she plans to attend Indiana University and become a Nursing major. She says her experience in FFA has already helped her grow as a student and has helped sharpen her leadership skills, which are required of those in the nursing field.
“FFA has given me great communication skills,” says Brooklyn. “I’ve also learned through the Career Development Events (CDEs) that I do to work under pressure. I participate in soil judging and parliamentary procedure, and so those have been really good opportunities for me.”
(Story by C.J. Miller with our newsgathering partners at Hoosier Ag Today)
