For those looking forward to combining their passion with Future Farmers of America (FFA), Ashlyn Quinn, a former Roseville high school student that won an Illinois State Proficiency Award, can show you how to do it. In a podcast interview with Matt Brechwald of Off-Farm Income, Ashlyn explains how she managed this in rural Illinois.
Although she was working as a lifeguard at the local YMCA, she was able to incorporate her job with her time in the FFA. This led her to winning an Illinois State Proficiency Award in this very category. Ashlyn, who is now done with high school, is studying Statistics and Natural Resources at Carl Sandburg Community College in Galesburg, Illinois.
Ashlyn joined FFA as a freshman and attributes her achievement to a deep family legacy and receiving lots of encouragement from her loved ones. Her family members were also in FFA; her elder sister was an associate, and her dad as well as her grandparents were all part of the organization. Ashlyn says she even became the chapter’s president.
When asked why she chose to be an officer, Ashlyn had this to say: “I had some very good friends in FFA that were all older than me, and they helped me and encouraged me to run for office in my freshman year. They kind of just got me on the team even if it was like a really lower position.” She added that her friends kept pushing her to keep going each year and try for a higher office, and her advisor was also really pushing her.
Talking about her supervised agricultural experience, Ashlyn said her main SAE project is in safety. “I have a small project in in hog production, but my safety project is where I usually compete with and for that book, I work at my local YMCA, which I have been doing since 2016. When I turned 15, I got lifeguard certified and since 2016 I have added voice studying, become a swim lesson instructor, worked as a day camp counselor, and serviced the front desk.”
While offering advice to students who have a passion that people would not associate with agriculture but would want to combine, Ashlyn says it might not be straight forward. One might have to combine some stuff together, relate them to each other and find a way to make it work. Her parting shot was an encouragement to all who may be interested; she urged them to try, adding that anyone else can do it. One only needs to talk to the advisor and figure out the area they are passionate about and then making the experience work for them.
About the Off-Farm Income Podcast
Since its launch in December 2014, Off-Farm Income has published over 900 episodes. Currently it is releasing six episodes per week, from Monday to Saturday. Mondays and Wednesdays are scheduled for interviews with FFA students about their supervised agricultural experiences, time in the FFA, and future plans in or out of agriculture.
The Off-Farm Income Podcast is a platform that tells the stories of agriculture. It aims to help people live an agricultural lifestyle. Started by Matt Brechwald, one of the nation’s most prolific agricultural podcasters, the podcast is aired on iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, and Apple Podcasts. Matt is a trusted voice in the world of agricultural podcasting and broadcasting with real world experience. Matt tells the stories of agriculture from behind a microphone in Kuna, Idaho.
***Report Courtesy of the Off-Farm Income Podcast***
