The President's Pen
Living to Serve
My name is Isaac Hawkins Jr., and I am the Texas FFA State President. The purpose of this newsletter is to allow members to hear from the current State President as they give updates on life, travel, and current events, hearing firsthand what goes on daily in the lives of state officers.
May 2024
Howdy, Texas FFA!
I hope all of you are enjoying the latter half of our spring semester. I am proud to announce that we have successfully completed spring travel for the year. When this journey started on August 21st, 2023, I never would have imagined the joy and excitement I would get from seeing all of you from across the state. Every one of you had such a lasting impact on me, and I am forever grateful for the chance to serve you throughout this year.
As I look back on my time traveling the state, a few moments stand out.
While traveling through Area 5, we had the opportunity to attend a district meeting. I'll never forget how amazing it was to see so many members from the DFW area mingling and enjoying the presence of their fellow peers. Seeing such a well-planned and organized meeting by district officers left me beaming with joy as I got to experience it. The connections I made with individuals that day will last a lifetime. Traveling the far west region of Area 2, I will never forget when a short trip home turned into a muddy episode when we tried to push a chapter member's car out of the ditch. At that moment, we all could have chosen to be a little upset that our clothes were pretty dirty, but instead, we decided to laugh about how goofy the entire incident was.
I will always cherish the time I spent in Huntsville at the state LDE contest; as someone who never got to go as a member, it was heartwarming to see all the hard work members have put in throughout the fall finally pay off. All the countless hours spent studying, memorizing, and perfecting your scripts and interviews were well worth the trouble. The priceless reactions I saw on the faces of our contestants brought a feeling of pride that no amount of money could buy. I never considered myself much of a yapper, but Jacob Murphy from the Gilmer FFA chapter brought it out of me. Having dinner with him and their officer team, we talked about nothing but music for hours. Whenever Jacob mentioned a new artist, I was blown away by his incredible musical taste. Needless to say...Jacob can get the aux cord anytime.
Though our visit was not long, The Vidor FFA chapter quickly became a group of some of the funniest kids I have ever met. We had great energy during our presentation, and they kept us holding our stomachs with their jokes. AG Olympics with the Brenham FFA chapter was one to remember. I never thought tossing an egg back and forth would be such a fun yet highly stressful game. I'll spare you the details, but let's say Elise and I's catching skills could use some work.
This was my life from August 21st, 2023, to April 17th, 2024. Every day, I woke up in a new place with a new opportunity to meet some new, awesome people. Spending that much time on the road, many would think that you would start to get homesick, but that wasn't the case for me. Getting to interact with every one of you this year made me feel more at home than I ever have, and for that, I am forever grateful. To now be able to say that I have friends that span across all regions of our great state is a blessing in and of itself. Texas FFA, these are just a few of the many great stories I can tell from my time on the road. I can't thank you enough for sharing your homes, laughs, and competitive spirit with me.
May is officially upon us; it is Area Convention season! In the next couple of weeks, members will come together to receive awards, recognition, and installations of the new area officer teams. We will also find out the next State Officer team for the 2024-2025 school year. Looking down the road, we will have our State Leadership Conference in Lubbock, Texas, at the end of May, as well as area leadership camps to follow in the weeks after. We are just 67 days away from the big stage, and I cannot wait to see all of you in Houston at the 96th Annual Texas FFA State Convention! Thank you for everything, and live "The Life Abundant."
Be a light for others everywhere -
-Isaac Hawkins Jr.
March 2024
Howdy, Texas FFA!
I am incredibly excited to reinstate the tradition of the President's Pen. I hope all of you are having a fantastic school year as we enter the height of our spring CDE season. Already, we have reached the midpoint of our term, and it has been nothing short of a blessing to work with my 11 teammates and state staff members. Traveling through our great state in just this short amount of time, the future of our incredible organization has found itself in great hands.
Our most recent event to date was our Day at the Capitol/Legislative Lead event held in Austin, TX. As someone who never attended this event in high school, I was thoroughly impressed with the outcome and the experiences I shared with members. Discussing how agriculture and public education are affected from the legislative side was very interesting. We had an incredible number of speakers who could give insight on topics such as political geography and the process of a bill turning to law, and we got to hear from leaders who represent different commodity groups. We also heard remarks from the Texas Agriculture Commissioner, Sid Miller. If you have a knack for all things policy, a trip to the capitol may be the thing for you!
As I write this, I am surrounded by trees as we head to the Area VI Convention. We will congratulate members on their success this year and find out who the 2024 Incoming State Officer will be! Future upcoming events include the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, the Texas Cattle Raisers Convention March 21-24, and more CDE contests to round out the month.
Furthermore, it truly takes a village to run our organization. As you head off to a spring contest, thank those who have taken time out of their schedules to plan, organize, and facilitate your events. Take the chance to meet someone new and connect with a friend. Most importantly, take time to thank your Ag teachers. It is not easy work to wake up before the sun to get students where they need to be. CDE season is in full swing, and they'll need all the help and support they can get. Be on time for the bus!
As I conclude, the year is flying by. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your daily lives. As time passes, I couldn't be prouder to call the most excellent place on earth home. Continue to be a light for others everywhere!
See you on the road!