Northview High Student Running For State FFA Vice President Post

April 29, 2008

Northview senior Andrea Byars is a finalist for a position in state position in Florida’s FFA.

Byars, who is president of the Northview High School FFA, is one of two finalists for state officer from Florida’s Area I of FFA. The finalists were selected by the State Officer Screen Committee. They were challenged with an individual interview, written exam, individual problem solving activity, group problem solving activity, interviews and conversational exercises. Byars and the other candidates will seek election at the 80th annual Florida FFA State Convention.

byarsconentionfront.jpgIf elected, Byars (pictured right) would represent FFA as Area I State Vice-President. Area I covers the area from Pensacola to Tallahassee, about 15 counties in all. She will be competing for the office against Carly Barnes (pictured left) from Malone High School.

“As a state officer I will travel the state, country, and internationally as a representative for Florida agriculture, Florida FFA, and Florida agricultural education,” Byars told NorthEscambia.com ” I believe that it is an opportunity to meet people and see things that I may not other wise have the chance to experience. Being a state officer really is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I have always had the idea in the back of my mind that I wanted to run for a state office and a s the chance grew closer I decided to take the opportunity and just see how far I could go.”

Students should consider FFA, she said, because it opens up the vast, changing world of Florida agriculture while teaching life lessons.

andreabyars11.jpg“Agriculture is no longer cows and plows and neither is the FFA. Ag technologies are advancing the way in which goods are produced and the FFA helps students to find their niche in any area that they can think of from farming to biochemical engineering,” she said. “The many areas of the FFA helps students to see the world around them and to test out their many interests before they enter the real world.”

Byars (pictured left) said she has enjoyed her years in FFA, especially meeting others her age that share similar interests. She said she enjoys FFA competitions, and meeting other students like her. And meeting some that are very different, like at the National FFA Convention a few years ago in Louisville, Kentucky.

“I knew that there was going to be a lot of people but I did really know how many. There were probably 50,000 FFA students there from everywhere, from Alaska to Porto Rico and From Maine to Hawaii,” she said. ” It was so cool seeing how many different states were at this one convention. But the coolest part was seeing the FFJ (Future Farmers of Japan) members at our convention.”

The 80th Annual Florida State FFA Convention will be held June 9-13 in Orlando. Byars is the daugther of Perry and Kay Byars of Oak Grove.

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