Elevate with Royal

In the Texas FFA there’s nowhere to go but up from the moment a member begins their journey in the organization, and so it is only fitting for the theme of the 2021 Texas FFA State Convention to be “Elevate”.

“There is nothing else in this state like the Texas FFA State Convention,” Spanish Creed Speaking participant and Lone Star degree recipient Alondra Melendez said. “When you’re there, you know that you’re surrounded by people who share similar values and passions, and you not only get to celebrate other’s achievements but also get to have days full of fun with friends that are practically family.”

On Tuesday, July 6th, the Royal FFA Chapter Officer teams, and Lone Star Degree recipients traveled to Fort Worth to attend the 93rd Texas FFA State Convention where they competed in events, attended workshops, received Lone Star degrees, heard from great speakers at the sessions, and got to explore the exhibit hall.

“The FFA Convention was a one-of-a-kind experience,” Royal High School Graduate and Lonestar Degree Recipient Nimve Nuñez said. “It gave me a new vision on what it means to be a part of this wonderful family because it is far from being your average organization. Being able to experience this helped me gain a new level of admiration for this program.”

A competition that Royal competed in this year at the convention was the Spanish Creed Speaking Contest where Alondra Melendez placed top 3 in her heat and advanced to finals.

“This year’s Texas FFA State Convention was certainly one for the books,” Melendez said. “On my first day, I was full of nerves, anxiously awaiting my turn to go in for Spanish Creed Speaking. I had worked for over a month to memorize the creed and get to a point where I was comfortable answering a variety of questions about it in Spanish.”

The sessions at Convention ranged from “Elevate Leadership” to “Elevate Community” prompting members from all over the state to come together to listen to retiring officer speeches and keynote speakers such as Anna Mathis, the National FFA Secretary.

“In these sessions, the retiring officer speeches were supposed to be on something we can take home and integrate into our everyday lives and chapters, ”Chapter Vice President and Lone Star Degree Recipient Hanna Ulbricht said. “I loved how they had some personal information and made it more sentimental and got people engaged.”

While at the convention, members from the Royal FFA Chapter were able to attend the Value in Me, Value in You Workshop which was led by the National FFA Southern Vice President Artha Jonassaint prompting members to get out of their seats and mingle with members from chapters from around the state.

“State FFA Convention was truly a great opportunity to meet and greet with other members,” Chapter President Kaelyn Hein said. “To my surprise, I ended up having a lot in common with some members. This year’s convention was an experience like no other.”

The convention held an exposition where anyone attending could go around and look at projects from the Agriscience Fair, Explore Agriculture programs in college booths, shop for clothes, take pictures, and many more.

“There were various shops and booths set up around the hall that were selling beautiful accessories and trinkets, and my friends and I took a picture in front of an FFA sign to commemorate our time there,” Melendez said.

Amidst all of the convention excitement, Royal FFA Lone Star Degree Recipients got to walk across the stage and receive their coveted Lone Star Charms, received only after achieving their greenhand and chapter degrees which amounted from all of their hard work being put into the organization. The Royal FFA Lonestar Degree recipients consisted of Melani Alanis, Hanna Ulbricht, Angel Velasquez, Alexis Ibarra, Nimve Nuñez, Emily Contreras, Juan Grimaldo, Alondra Melendez, and Samantha Lopez.

“When I got my Lonestar Degree it was an experience that I will never forget.” Chapter Reporter and Lonestar Degree Recipient Alexis Ibarra said. “It felt as if I became a part of a bigger family, one that has been with me since the beginning,”   

In the fourth general session “Elevate the Future” for the first time, the session started with opening ceremonies in Spanish performed by members competing in the Spanish Creed Speaking competition, later in the session the awards and recognition for the speaking events were announced, where Royal’s very own Alondra Melendez placed for Spanish Creed Speaking.

“When the speaker announced that I had gotten eighth place I was elated and giddy as I was given my banner,” Melendez said. “I had never won in a state FFA contest, and it’s everyone’s goal in this organization to receive one of those coveted banners at least once in their FFA journey.”

At the “Elevate the Journey” session recognition was also given to Mr. Woods Classroom which was the name given to the group that competed in the Justin Boots FFA STEM Contest which consisted of Alondra Melendez, Melani Alanis, Alexis Ibarra, Samantha Lopez, and Emily Contreras.

“I left the Texas FFA State Convention feeling beyond happy, and I couldn’t have asked for a better time with my friends and fellow members,” Melendez said.

Pictured below, Lone Star Degree Recipients left to right: Angel Velásquez, Jessica Payton, Juan Grimaldo, Kayla Longoria, Melani Alanis, Emily Contreras, Alexis Ibarra, Alondra Meléndez, Samantha López, Nimve Núñez, Hanna Ulbricht

Pictured below, Alondra Melendez, 8th place in Spanish Creed Speaking.