As year in office ends, Oregon FFA officers reflect on chaotic tenure

The coronavirus pandemic forced high schools to adopt remote learning, thwarting in-person gatherings. For FFA officers like Grace Adams and Jenna Wallace, that meant finding new ways to connect with their peers.

“I think it was hard at first,” Adams said. “We came to the realization that our team was going to have a unique experience that nobody else could relate to.”

Adams, of Dayton, was elected Oregon FFA president during last year’s virtual state convention in March, and Wallace, of Hermiston, was elected vice president. Nobody could have predicted then just how long the crisis would last, or how disruptive it would be.

As the first day of the 2021 convention began Tuesday — which was also streamed online — Adams and Wallace reflected on their team’s unprecedented tenure, how they were able to adapt and ultimately prevail through difficult times.

“Instead, we thought more of how can we make this better? What can we do to move onward?” Adams said. “I think we’ve grown the most, because we faced a lot of struggles.”

Rather than hitting the road for their regular leadership tour, the six-member Oregon FFA state officer team was forced to hunker down for three months, living in the dorms at Oregon State University in Corvallis. Every day, they would arrive at Strand Agriculture Hall on campus to facilitate workshops with students online via Zoom.

The challenge, Adams said, was figuring out how to make the presentations engaging and interactive over a computer screen. They made use of video clips, chat features and breakout rooms, encouraging members who might already feel burned out with online classes to participate.

“Traditionally, in order to get them engaged, you’d do something hands-on or turn to a partner. We couldn’t really do that,” Adams said.

Adams joked the team has now perfected the art of the “awkward Zoom conversation.” In addition to daily workshops, the team also held four virtual leadership camps for chapter officers, with several hundred students registered for each.

While online meetings can be tedious, both Adams and Wallace said they were able to connect with more students than ever before.

“It was tough, to say the least,” Adams said. “Every day for three months, we got up and it was the same thing. It was 100% the students who made me feel like it was worth it.”

Wallace said the team was able to hone a new skill set that will only become more valuable in the future.

“I feel like we’ve just added a whole bunch more tools to our tool belt this year,” she said.

The 2020-21 Oregon FFA state officer team also included Raimey Brown, of Baker, as secretary; Celilo Brun, of Hood River Valley, as treasurer; Alivia Robbins, of Burns, as reporter; and Colby Fairbairn, of Roseburg, as sentinel. They will hand over the reigns once new officers are elected at this year’s convention.

For Adams, she has received a scholarship to attend Oklahoma State University, where she plans to pursue a degree in agriculture business and communications. Wallace said she is waiting to hear back from the colleges where she’s applied, and will study political science.

Wallace said she was initially worried about her year as an FFA state officer, but the challenges helped them to grow as leaders.

”I think that a really awesome part of our year is that new family we now have,” she said. “The connections we’ve built is something I really value.”