“GET ON YOUR FEET FOR YOUR 2017-2018 CALIFORNIA STATE OFFICERS!” At this the 90th Annual California State FFA Convention, members had the opportunity to witness the first ever California State Leadership Conference that took place in Anaheim, California. Minarets FFA brought 31 students, merely a fraction of the over 7,500 members and guests who attended. During the conference, the California Association recognized many people and awards as well as transacted business throughout various sessions that took place. Each chapter in the state was required to send two voting delegates who vote on amendments and state officers, give recommendations to California FFA, and sit on the floor of the conference getting the great view and experience possible.
This year, the delegates representing Minarets FFA were junior Dilan Basila and sophomore Mackenzie Camacho. Another member representing Minarets FFA in a unique way was junior Michael Rezendes as he received the opportunity to be a Committee Chair. As a Committee Chair, he chaired a group of delegates on the topic of reconstructing the delegate process of California FFA. He also had to facilitate different discussion groups and write a committee report that was delivered on stage at a session, offering recommendations that could benefit the student led organization.
Intertwined with each session, California FFA highlights unique talents of different members across the state. Sophomore Maddie Wristen, a Minarets FFA member, showcased her talents twice during the Conference. First, she used her voice as part of the introduction to conference at opening session. Additionally, she had the opportunity to sing the song “Hallelujah” in front of over 7,500 people at the final session of the conference.
Juniors Dilan Basila and Natalie Anselmo chaired the Hall of Chapters booth and had immense help from the rest of the chapter as they put together a booth featuring California Agriculture. For the Hall of Chapters contest, the participating chapters must find a way to showcase California Agriculture in a way for members to gain the knowledge as well as interact with fun and games. For their booth, Dilan and Natalie decided to focus on the many Microclimates of California and how they play into the unique variety of commodities produced by our state. Ag Advisor Ms. Sweet said, “it was so great to see Minarets represented so highly at a state level!”
After a few long days of leadership and great experiences, members got to finish at Disneyland’s California Adventure where members got to enjoy the park to themselves and meet people from different chapters. All together, Minarets was fortunate for an amazing experience with so many active members. We can’t wait to go back next year!
