Bailey Gasvoda will be one of the state's FFA officers during her first year at MSU. She doesn't know which office yet,
Usually, they travel to Bozeman to be interviewed, but this year Bailey was interviewed remotely. She also watched the FFA Facebook page as her name was announced.
Bailey told me it was surreal. "Honestly, this is something I have always wanted to do since the 7th grade. When I was just new to FFA, I remember going to the DLS fall kickoff, and I saw all the state officers. There was one, in particular, I talked with her and after seeing her, I thought, wow, that's what I want to be. At the time, I didn't fully understand the role and position of the state officers, but it looked like something fun. I wanted to do that. As I went up in FFA, and I saw how they lead the state officer, the impact they made, and how they led the state. I thought it was incredible. Little 7th grade Baily is over the moon right now.
At the beginning of this year, Bailey didn't think she was going to run, but she was given support by her teacher, Mr. Taylor, Andrea Rutledge, and she traveled to the National Convention. Her heart told her to try. She was afraid to lose but knew she needed to try. "My heart led the way."
They are doing meetings and training through Zoom. Technology has allowed for a new way of doing business, which is creating more self-assurance that she can do this job.
I asked Bailey to write what she believed was the future of FFA. She wrote, "When most people think about the future, immediately, new technology comes to mind. When looking specifically at the future of agriculture, the same thing pops into our heads. We think about drones and self-driving tractors. I believe that this is the future of agriculture, as a lot of the great technology is already coming about today. However, when I think of the future of agriculture, I think of FFA, "I believe in the future of agriculture, with a faith born not of words, but of deeds." This is the beginning of the very well know FFA Creed. To someone who is or was not a member of the FFA, that may sound unfamiliar, but it is well known in the hearts of every FFA member. We believe in the future of agriculture, and through our organization, we are building it. Through FFA, we can grow as individuals and learn skills that will carry us throughout our life. We learn to serve because our faith is born not of words but deeds. Because of our past leaders and agriculturists, we can see the true epitome of learning to serve and carrying out the act. Great people have gone before us, and the future is bright because of those from the past. As for the present, leaders are being built. We are learning through the challenges we are facing. The future of agriculture is bright, and I cannot wait to see what it has in store. "
