My Passion by Addison

My Passion by Addison - April 2025 Scholarship Essay

Upon graduating high school, I will begin pursuing a 4-year degree from the University of Missouri in the Fall of 2025. Here, I am going to be majoring in Agribusiness Management with a minor in Plant Science. While attending the University of Missouri, I also plan to obtain certificates they offer such as Floral Artistry and Management and Landscape Design. I have a huge passion for horticulture and plan to seize these opportunities to expand my knowledge. Eventually, I would like to work towards acquiring my Master’s Degree in Agribusiness Management as well.
Up until June of 2020, I lived in St. Joseph, Missouri for all of my life. Living here, I was not given the opportunity to learn about agriculture in the schooling system. The extent of my knowledge came from my father, who is a truck driver. Eventually, my family and I found ourselves moving to the rural, unincorporated area of Helena, Missouri. Starting high school, I was extremely nervous, unaware of how my life was about to shift. At Freshman Orientation, I was approached by Mrs. Aeschlimann, who asked me if I planned on joining the school’s FFA chapter. At that time, I was not sure what FFA was. However, I knew I wanted to be involved in high school and break out of my shell, so I said yes.
Since that moment, I have fallen in love with FFA and agriculture. I’ve experienced many successes in this organization. During my freshmen, sophomore, and junior years, I competed in Career Development Events (CDEs) at the state level. I have also served as an officer more than once during my high school career. In my junior year, I was the junior reporter. My greatest accomplishment was when I secured a column for our chapter in the local newspaper. Now, in my senior year, I am serving as the chapter’s vice president. I use this role of leadership to better my fellow officer team, chapter, and community. Through these experiences, I have learned copious amounts of information on the different aspects of agriculture. Everything that I have participated in during my journey with agriculture education in high school has done nothing but improve me.
Now, as a Senior in high school, I see the way that agriculture education will impact my future. Prior to going to Savannah High School, I had absolutely no direction in my life. I did not know what I wanted to do and who I wanted to become. Through my high school agriculture education, I have found myself. I have discovered the major I want, Agribusiness Management. On top of that, I’ve discovered my own niche interest. I discovered my love and passion for horticulture, inspiring me to minor in Plant Science. I have a large collection of houseplants in my bedroom. I enjoy putting love and energy into these plants and watching them flourish. Similarly to the love I've been shown by my agriculture advisors, I’ve flourished as a person.