By Brittany Gonzalez  

It's finally a new year, and that means February is coming soon. February is one of the best months of the year. It includes my birthday, but it also includes National FFA Week! My FFA chapter had a dress-up theme every day and an activity every night during FFA Week. Two of the four FFA Weeks I experienced in high school had some unforeseen interruptions.

My junior year was busy. I liked to say that “I didn’t have time to be sick.” A few months prior to FFA Week, I wasn’t feeling well. My throat hurt and my nose was stuffed, and then I felt a pain in my ear as I lost my sense of hearing.

I rushed to the emergency room. I suspected I had strep throat. I was told I only had swollen tonsils and an ear infection. The next week consisted of taking medicine and resting.

Similar symptoms flared back up just before FFA Week. I tried to brush them off, but one day into FFA Week, I decided to have a checkup since my sore throat wasn’t going away. They called me back to tell me I had what I dreaded the most: strep throat.

I was not one to miss out on FFA activities. I always participated in everything during FFA Week. I did not have time to be sick. With much dismay, I realized there was nothing I could do. I would miss a day and a half of FFA Week because of something that was out of my control.

Sacrifice matters
Senior year rolled around, and it was a bittersweet moment going through what I thought would be my last FFA Week. Little did I know, I would not be able to attend all the events. A few months prior, I had applied for the Next Generation Hoosier Educators scholarship. I was informed I was a finalist, and my interview would be the Saturday of FFA Week. This again felt like something that was out of my control, and I failed to see the brighter side.

A while after the interviews, I was told I wasn’t selected for the scholarship. I missed one of the biggest events of FFA Week for something I didn’t reap benefit from. They told me I was on the waiting list if the recipient of the scholarship did not accept it. There seemed to be little hope for the sacrifice I made.

Thankfully, three months into my state officer year, I received a call notifying me that I was moved off the waiting list and would receive the scholarship once I started college.

Even during the biggest events for FFA members, such as National FFA Week, we must make sacrifices because we have so many opportunities that come our way. That is the benefit of being part of such a promising organization. FFA Week is when we celebrate our shared passions. But we must remember all the passions we have for the future. The choices we face can come at the most unexpected times, but they can’t stop us from moving forward.

Gonzales hails from Wolcott, Ind., and the Tri-County FFA Chapter. She writes from Trafalgar.