By Jarrett Bailey

“We shall be led out of the darkness of selfishness and into the glorious sunlight of brotherhood and cooperation.” You can find this phrase at all FFA meetings when the Opening Ceremonies are performed. Members take a moment to remember they’re part of a bigger picture, so they can make decisions that are best for their chapter, state and even national organization. This statement holds true for me even more as days go by.

My whole life I knew I wanted to serve a bigger picture. Through 4-H and FFA, I tried finding ways to be in an active role of service. You could find me serving others in small ways, such as emptying trash cans at the county fair and taking part in my FFA chapter food drive, or in bigger ways, such as sitting on the Adams County 4-H Council to make improvements for fairgoers, and this year, as a national FFA delegate, making decisions on behalf of 12,000 members of Indiana FFA.

However, I know I have more to give, the same way past generations of my family did before me. That’s why I’m proud to say I’m going to join the military.

The military holds the same values I hold in my heart: loyalty, honor and selfless service. When I began my journey toward joining the U.S. armed services, I searched for opportunities and ways to prepare myself. I read books about the service, studied military history and talked to veterans to pick up real-life advice. As I investigated the depths of the military, I began to compare it to organizations I was part of. That is when I realized FFA was a great way for me to develop my leadership skills for my future in the military.

Ties that bind
The similarities in both organizations are numerous. Both have official dress to show professionalism and loyalty. Both organizations have officers: those who lead their members to success. But what really matters to me is their shared core values of service, leadership and personal growth. That is what I have devoted myself to for years in the FFA, and what I want to continue for years to come in the military.

FFA is the main pathway to further myself for the future, with a mind to work and heart to serve as my priority.

FFA has truly done wonders for me. Whether it was purely education, building life skills or engaging with others, this is a unique experience I would not have gotten anywhere else. And while the five-year-long journey I have taken with the FFA will soon come to an end, I am so thankful to have been a part of it and excited to take the skills I have learned to the next step in my journey.

The skills I learned through my FFA career translate well to my future. But they also translate well with any future a young person sees for himself or herself. Whether they pursue a career in the military like I will or another path, I know many are just as inspired as I am to follow a path of loyalty, honor and service through their future endeavors.

Bailey is the 2018-19 Indiana FFA sentinel. He hails from Adams County and was a member of the Bellmont FFA Chapter.