The Alliance FFA has many major events throughout the school year, such as the Blue and Gold Gala, Leadership Development Event (LDE), and Career Development Events (CDEs). CDEs are contests that help you develop skills for future careers and can show what these careers may look like. Our chapter has 3 Career Development Events from the beginning of January to March. The first CDE is January 10, 2024, and has contests such as; Welding, Livestock Management, Ag Sales, and Floriculture. I interviewed one individual from each of these teams and asked how they were preparing for their contest.
My first interviewee was Keera Stanec, who is doing Livestock Management. The first question I asked Keera was what her event was about, she stated, “We test on different subjects with animals such as cattle, swine, poultry, dairy, horses, and sheep. Each animal has different topics and our team studies different ones to make the group test easier.” When Keera was asked how she prepared on her own time for this event, she told me, “I attend practice two times a week for half an hour and study the topics that have been assigned to me.” The livestock management team prepares for the contest by going to practice every day it’s scheduled and communicating with each other. The last question I asked Keera was what her favorite thing about the contest is and she said, “Genuinely just get to go to competitions and get to learn new things about managing livestock!”
Macy Brooks, one of the FFA officers this year, was who I interviewed next. Macy is doing Floriculture, I asked her what Floriculture was about and she told me, “Floriculture involves assessing students’ knowledge and skills in the cultivation, marketing, and arrangement of flowers and ornamental plants. Participants demonstrate their proficiency in plant identification, floral design, and industry knowledge, showcasing their expertise in the art and business of floriculture.” The next question I asked was how Macy alone is preparing for this event, Macy said, “I am preparing for this contest by studying tests and ID in my free time and looking at quizlets.” Another thing that I asked was how the Floriculture team prepared, she stated, “The Floriculture team is preparing for this contest by meeting in the morning twice a week and practicing flower ID as well as looking over tests. In the next couple of weeks, we will also learn how to make corsages and boutonnieres.” The last question that I asked Macy was what was her favorite part about her event, she told me, “My favorite thing about this event is getting to see everyone’s creativity come out in their floral designs. You have freedom in this contest to express individuality as a team through what you create. It is interesting how different each team’s floral designs are when we are all given the same flowers.”
Addison Wittman, who is on the Welding team, was my next interview. I asked Addison what the welding competition is like and she told me, “It’s pretty much just about welding and making things and learning how to read the blueprints and know the safety protocols.” When asked how Addison is preparing on her own time she responded, “I’m practicing the welds that I will compete in and reading the test questions.” Addison told me how she and her team prepare together as well, “We’re welding and looking at possible questions that will be on the test.” My final question was what was Addison’s favorite part of the whole event and she said, “I get to work with my hands and it’s a new learning experience.”
The FFA Chapter is working extremely hard at practices to qualify for the Nebraska FFA Convention. I hope they all excel in their competitions and beat expectations!
