State FFA Finals: Going Full Circle

Well, the time is almost here.  The time when over 2000 blue corduroy jackets will invade Cal Poly’s campus.  The time when there will be tears and celebration, joys and regrets.  That’s right, this Saturday is the annual California State FFA Judging Finals, hosted by Cal Poly, SLO.  This exciting, fun-filled day is a time when high school FFA students from across the state convene to compete in 19 contests for the chance of winning and going on to represent California at the national contest held during the National FFA Convention in October.  Students come to compete in a variety of contests, from Ag Mechanics to Livestock Judging to Agricultural Issues Forum to Agronomy (and many more).  After having spent a good part of the school year preparing for this very day through practicing with their teammates and coaches and participating in Field Days held at other colleges throughout the state, this is the capstone to all their hard work and dedication put into the contest.  For some students, this is the last contest of their high school careers, and for some it is their first.  For some students, this is their first time visiting Cal Poly, and for some it is the last. 

Well that’s where I found myself four long years ago, as a senior in the Escalon FFA Chapter.  I competed at the State FFA Judging Finals all three years I was in high school, and that was really my only exposure to Cal Poly.  After I left Cal Poly four years ago, I really never saw myself coming back, with the exception of maybe visiting some friends.  I would have never thought that four years later, I would be not only attending Cal Poly but I would also be serving as the emcee for the State FFA Judging Finals Awards Ceremony, the one moment in time that all FFA members work towards.  Needless to say, things have gone full circle and here I am today.

Earth Day Food & Wine Festival

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to help at a fun, exciting event: Earth Day Food and Wine Festival.  This annual event is coordinated by the Central Coast Vineyard Team and was held at Pomar Junction in Templeton in connection with Earth Day.  Though this type of event isn’t usually my cup of tea, we were asked to participate on behalf of Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow (ACT).  Not only have I never taken much, well let’s not lie now, any consideration of Earth Day, but I have never put much thought into recycling and composting, with the exception of having a recycling bin in our apartment.  My participation in this event certainly took me out of my comfort zone, and not just because it was close to 90 degrees outside.  As ACT members, we were asked to participate in the event as recycle monitors; or as our supervisor for the day, Ian, so fittingly called us, the “communicators of recycling.”  Basically, our job for the 6 hour event was to stand at the recycling stations, which consisted of a recycle bin and green waste bin, and help the slightly event attendees put their trash in the right container.  And let me tell you, there was more to it than I was expecting.

We started the day by getting a tour of the event and locating the nine recycling stations.  We then got the scoop on what things at the event would constitute being recycled and what could be composted.  Though my fellow “communicators of recycling” were initially having a hard time remembering what was compostable, we finally figured out that if it was ever alive, then it could be composted.  We thought we had it all figured out and that our day wouldn’t be too eventful, until we were told of the Boy Scouts who did this particular job last year and supposedly did an outstanding job (remember though, they probably got a badge for this).  We were reminded that those boys did a great job, and specifically, that they weren’t scared to dig through the trash to the bottom of the bin if a plastic spoon ended up in the green waste container.  Well, that’s when things got interesting.  We quickly realized that this day was going to entail more than just standing behind the bins and directing people as to which bin to throw their trash into.  This day was going to entail us physically getting into the bins to remove things such as a little plastic spoon that if otherwise not removed, would deem an entire can of compostable products as not compostable.  Needless to say, we all experienced our share of sticking our hands, and many times heads, into the bins to remove a plastic spoon or cup. 

Check out ACT President, Jennifer Ray, getting her hands dirty in the compost bin.  In an effort to live up to the expectations the Boy Scouts left for us, we were removing a paper towel that indeed, come to find out after the fact, was compostable.  Oh well, at least we learned!

Despite all the time we spent rummaging through the compost bins and the hot weather (which of course was made worse by the fact that we had to wear black t-shirts), we actually had a decent time and I can say that I learned a lot about recycling and composting and have a new found respect for those involved in such endeavors.  Oh, and how can I forget all the slightly awkward, yet entertaining moments involving myself and monitoring intoxicated folks as they attempted to discard their garbage into the correct bins (key word there: intoxicated)?  But we’ll leave those stories for another time…

Poly Royal

Well as many of you know, last weekend was Cal Poly’s Open House, better known as Poly Royal.  It was my third time attending Open House, and what I’m hoping wasn’t my last.  The first time I attended Open House was as a potential incoming student, back in 2010.  I came down with two of my friends from Modesto Junior College who were also considering transferring to Cal Poly the following fall.  Attending Open House was a great opportunity to see what all Cal Poly and CAFES had to offer, and it got me excited about my upcoming transfer to Cal Poly.  Last year’s Open House was my first as a Cal Poly student.  Being on CAFES Open House Committee, I was involved in the activities for incoming students on Friday, along with helping at club and department booths during Saturday’s events.  And that leads me to this year’s Open House, my second and last as a student. 

This year’s Open House certainly lived up to its expectations, even with the poor weather we experienced here in San Luis Obispo.  With rain on Friday, I had the opportunity to meet with incoming transfer students, talking to them about the things unique to them as a transfer.  We met them outside the Rec Center, and of course as soon as they were released from the university welcome, the clouds opened up and the rain began to pour.  But as true Cal Poly aggies, all of the current CAFES students were ready and excited to greet them and lead them to the Farm Shop, rain, mud, and all.  I had a great time talking to the transfer students, and helping to make their transition to Cal Poly a little easier.  I concluded Friday by helping out one of the clubs I’m involved in, Collegiate FFA (CFFA).  To prepare for our booth the next day, we had to cut 15 flats of strawberries to be served with ice cream.  Sitting around five gallon buckets with our flats of strawberries and knives in hand, we went to work cutting strawberries and with about 15 people helping, we were done within an hour and a half.  We then got the room set up for the next day and it was home to rest up for the big day.

Saturday is probably the busiest of the Open House days, for me at least.  This year I had to split my time between the Ag Communicators of Tomorrow (ACT) booth, CFFA’s ice cream and strawberries booth, and the Ag Education and Communications department booth.  Getting to campus early in the morning, I helped get the ACT booth set up before running over to see my friend, David Jones, in the parade as Cal Poly’s Homecoming King!  I then spent some time helping at CFFA’s booth, then back to ACT, then to the department booth, and then back to CFFA’s booth for the remainder of the day.  In between all of that I found a little time to walk around campus, finding a delicious tri-tip sandwich and strawberry milkshake.  Though I had planned to work all my shifts in the morning hours so I could attend the tractor pulls, because of the weather it was canceled and I got to spend the entirety of my last Open House helping at club and department booths.  Even so, I enjoyed every minute of it and look forward to coming back to Open House, next time as a Cal Poly alumni! 

JOUR 205: Learning & Sharing

Starting the last quarter of my undergraduate college career in March, I felt so many emotions: excitement, nervousness, and anxiousness.  I was excited to see what this quarter had in store, nervous to do well in my classes, and anxious to figure out what my future after college would hold.  Adding to all these feelings is the desire to do well in my classes, as I’ve found myself on the track to graduating summa cum laude.  To me, this distinction says so much more than, “Oh, she must be smart.”  I believe that this distinction t is a testament to my work ethic and desire to give 100% in anything and everything I do.  Throughout my high school and college years, I have come to recognize what I as a student, person, and individual am capable of.  Therefore, I know that I am capable of great things and achieving this distinction would prove to myself and to others that I will work my hardest to achieve the things that I know I am capable of. 

With that said, I have four classes left standing in my way of graduation.  Those classes include my last few chapters of Senior Project, Tractor Driving, Ag Business Managerial Accounting, and Ag Communications.  Initially, I thought I knew what to expect in each of these classes, having talked to my peers who have taken these classes.  The thing I wasn’t prepared for was what JOUR 205 (Ag Communications) had in store.  Walking into the first day of class, I was expecting to know almost everyone in the class, seeing as I am an Ag Communications major and am pretty involved in the department.  Surprisingly, I knew maybe 5 people out of the entire class of close to 25!  Immediately, I knew that this class wasn’t going to be what I was expecting.  I came into the class thinking that my fellow students would be just as passionate about agriculture as I am.  I also came into it thinking that most of my classmates would be relatively knowledgeable about the agriculture industry and agriculture issues.

Though I was at first I was a bit bummed that I didn’t know as many people as I was expecting and that there wasn’t as much passion for the industry as I was hoping for, I find myself becoming more intrigued by the dynamics of the class.  As an agriculture communicator, this is yet another opportunity for me to practice my communication skills with people who may not have an understanding of the industry that means so much to me.  This class represents a great balance of learning and teaching, in that all members of the class will have the opportunity to learn things they didn’t know before and teach others things that they do know.  For me, as someone who grew up around and have experience in agriculture, I have the opportunity to learn from people who have experience in journalism and design, while teaching and sharing my experiences in the agriculture industry.

I look forward to what this class has in store, and what I can learn from and share with my peers!