An important factor that affects a person’s high school experience are the clubs, sports, and organizations one chooses to partake in. Unfortunately, some feel that many extracurricular activities are surrounded by misconceptions and stereotypes that have been ingrained into the teenage mind for generations. If people continue to not educate themselves and form their own opinions, they may miss out on discovering a new passion. Breaking away from preconceived ideas is easier said than done, as oftentimes, these judgments are made without second thought. For instance, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of Future Farmers of America (FFA)?

For 90 years, students from all over America have joined FFA to explore their talents, acquire new skills, and prepare themselves for the future. As respectable as that sounds, this organization has been given a label that contradicts its true purpose. Many members of FFA feel they are seen as simply “animal people”, and their hard work is not recognized by society. When given the opportunity, students involved in this extracurricular will make its objective clear, all while debunking the most popular stereotypes around it.

“The most common misconception about FFA is that it’s only working on a farm,” Miguel Villarreal (10) said. “What it actually is, is way more than just animals. It’s learning things like life and leadership skills, appropriate communication with adults, and how to weld.”

FFA has made students feel more equipped for their futures. Ethen Agreda (11) hopes to be a veterinarian.

“We do a whole bunch of leadership competitions and stuff that really prepares you for your career,” Agreda said. “I’m the FFA Vice President, so I go to meetings to go over important topics, participate in competitions and run through parliamentary procedure. FFA prepares you to talk to other adults in a workplace environment.”

Members feel there are many valuable concepts to be learned from their teachers.

“Being the only one in my family who’s done FFA, I’ve learned a lot,” Villarreal said. “I know a lot more about soil and water conservation now.”

Like many other organizations, FFA has a wide variety of activities and roles students can take on. Villarreal, the reporter, is in charge of all FFA social media accounts and informs the student body about their upcoming events.

“There’s a whole assortment of things you could do in FFA,” Agreda said. “I have a steere I like to show, but it all depends on what you like. If you don’t like animals, there are other things for you.”

Too often, people shut down the idea of trying something new because of false representation. Maybe all it takes to find a new interest is to do a little bit of research.

“Because of FFA, I’m passionate about public speaking,” Villarreal said. “Maybe one day, I’d like to go around and teach other people about things they didn’t know about.”