Step Out of Your Comfort Zone by Alysse

Step Out of Your Comfort Zone by Alysse - November 2014 Scholarship Essay

When you enter high school, the world will suddenly change and you will feel so different. There will be so many new opportunities and quite a few decisions to make. Walking into the doors of Canyon High School my freshman year, my eyes were opened up to many new people, ideas, and situations. The common struggle for anyone in high school is to find somewhere they belong and still uphold their values and beliefs while striving to become a successful young person. Upon entering high school, I anticipated I would find this belonging by staying in my comfort zone which had always been volleyball and church activities. However, because of a schedule change I was placed into a Principles of Agriculture class where I discovered a place I now call “home”.

This feeling of home did not occur immediately. I took a while to warm up to this new setting in my life. I was very shy at first, not knowing what I was supposed to do in the agriculture class. The more I opened up, the more I realized the potential opportunities that I could experience by becoming a part of the “ag” group and the FFA organization. The people in that first class seemed about as uncoordinated as a pair of red plaid pants and a red striped shirt. At first glance, it made absolutely no sense how I would ever be able to live up to the expectations of fitting in. They were all different and most of them older and very focused on the world of agriculture and animals. I had heard the “ag kid” stereotype about them being good for nothing and not really getting work done. I grew up in a subdivision in New Braunfels and I had worked on my parents and grandparents farms but I was still anxious about fitting in here and devloping in this new organization.

I went on my first livestock judging trip and quickly realized that the rumors about the kids in that program could not have been farther from the truth. That day, I began to understand I could really learn more about our world through the eyes of agriculture and could be successful in the career and development activities. The students in this program were not consumed by sports and some of them were raised on farms and ranches and expected to work for what they wanted. There were some that valued their work outside of school more than their grades, some that did not appreciate sports and some that did not necessarily spend much time in church. All these differences showed me a diverse view of life and I began to learn new ways to tackle challenges in my own life.

After my freshman year, I began showing sheep in the program. The eight month commitment of raising and caring for my sheep taught me responsibility and hard work. It takes hours of hard work to train them to walk and groom them for the show ring. My ag science teacher also advised me and eventually persuaded me to join a leadership team which I quickly fell in love with. My sophomore year, I served on a team that started a new career development team in our program, Vet Tech. With the help of two amazing older students, I found out that I really enjoyed competing with and meeting other FFA students. I also learned about different backgrounds and beliefs of people as a result of meeting fellow FFA students across the state.

The initial shock I experienced when I began leadership opportunities through FFA has changed within just 3 short years of being in the program. I competed at the state level twice in the Vet Tech CDE (placing 5th and 7th), served as a local officer for two years and most importantly I now approach new situations with a sense of anticipation and excitement to learn and make a difference. What was once a fear of new things has turned into an open-minded view towards the future and new people I meet. The FFA program has given me a home and ultimately changed my life for the better. I am more prepared to be a contributing part of the communities and programs in which I will be involved with in the future.