Thanks to the generosity of numerous scholarship donors, the Texas FFA will award more than 140 scholarships to outstanding graduating seniors through its academic scholarship program. These scholarships are awarded based on academic and FFA achievements as well as the member’s performance in an interview process. Brownwood High School (BHS) 2021 graduates Hunter Day and Tanner Roberts have been selected to receive the Houston Livestock Show scholarship in the amount of $20,000. This is a renewable scholarship, which means, after two years if they meet the qualifications and standards of the scholarship, they could be awarded $16,000 each.

Day and Roberts were both asked questions about their experience in the FFA and their plans after high school.

“My future plans include attending Texas A&M University and majoring in Animal Science,” stated Day. “I will use my education to obtain a career as a veterinarian working to better our ag industry each and every day.”

Day elaborated on what he learned from the Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) program, which involves practical agricultural activities performed by students outside of scheduled classroom and laboratory time. “As a livestock producer and a showman, I am forever thankful for the stock show industry,” said Day. “I have been showing market swine since I was a 3rd grader, and I recently exhibited market lambs for the final two years of my high school experience. Very quickly, I began to spend more time at my local ag barns than I did in my own living room. The hard work and responsibility that I developed from showing livestock have developed me for my future and built a strong work ethic that I can continue to build upon for years to come.”

When asked what it meant to wear the FFA jacket and serve as a representative of the Texas FFA Association, Day noted how his understanding of the iconic symbol has developed. “I never understood what it meant to wear the corduroy jacket of the FFA,” noted Day. “What may appear to some as an outdated and uncomfortable jacket has become a symbol of opportunity and growth for me. I’m proud to wear this jacket and serve as a representative for the greatest youth organization in the lone star state. To see 10,000 members all wearing these symbols of our organization at state convention is truly powerful, and I’m thankful to have been a part of it.”

Tanner Roberts’ post-high school plan differs greatly from Day’s, though FFA has also helped build skills necessary in his field of study.

“My future plans include attending Blinn and Majoring in Nursing,” stated Roberts. “I will earn my Bachelor of Science in Nursing and work as a Registered Nurse (RN) for a few years, before returning to school to earn my Doctor of Nursing Science degree and achieve my ultimate goal of being a Nurse Practitioner.”

Roberts explained his experience with FFA and how the organization is a lot more than what many might initially think. “From other people’s perspective, many do not know what the FFA is other than stock shows,” said Roberts. “Every time we were doing anything in the community, and we had our jackets on, I would always have people come to me and ask, ‘what animal do you show?’ These people had no clue that the FFA had anything else to offer. The FFA and agriculture, in general, are much more than farmers and ranchers. There are people from every aspect of life that work in agriculture, and this is shown in the FFA. The FFA has more than just stock shows and livestock judging. There are also business events, entomology, wool judging, etc. Take me, for example. I am going into nursing after high school. If I told someone, I was in HOSA (Future Health Professionals) and FFA in high school, most people would be surprised if I told them that the FFA helped me more. The FFA is not just about agriculture. It helps develop skills that will help anyone, no matter what aspect of life they come from.”

Roberts also shared what he thinks might improve the image of agricultural education and FAA in schools. “I believe that the organization is great, but there is always room for improvement,” noted Roberts. “I feel that the organization is largely misunderstood. In many people’s minds, the first thought is, ‘I’m not a farmer or a rancher, so why would I join the FFA?’ So the first thing that should be done is to make the FFA seem more attractive to people outside of just agriculture. The point of the organization is to learn about agriculture and appreciate it, which will cause a lot of people to become inspired and pursue a job in the agriculture sector, but it should not be the goal. The goal of the FFA should be to make better doctors, lawyers, teachers, etc. Scholarships like this one are a great way to attract these people to the FFA, and I am confident that if people get involved in the FFA, then the organization will get them to stay.”

BHS FFA Advisor and Ag Science teacher Chelsea Wilson congratulated Day and Roberts on their accomplishments. “Mr. Wilson, myself and the Brownwood FFA are very proud of the young men Hunter and Tanner have become,” said Wilson. “We are excited about their future endeavors and wish them the best of luck.”