As forty-four seniors, dressed in blue and
gold, began to take over the streets of our
capital city, our level of excitement was
only matched by the level of exhaustion for
the security guards at the capitol building.
At SLE, the experience is kindled by an
incredible group of facilitators, sparked by a
curriculum that allows interaction with some
of the most powerful leaders in California
agricultural politics, but is truly set ablaze
by the passion of the students. That spark
by Mara Basich-Pease
came in the form of wisdom, with words
San Luis Obispo FFA Chapter
straight from the capitol as we met with
our home district representatives, as well as
from the agriculture industry, as experts came straight from the field (literally, in
the case of Mr. Paul Muller of Full Belly Farms) to help clarify the connection
between the industry and California legislature. However, my time at SLE was
distinctly characterized by the
people whom I met, laughed
with, debated with (or against),
danced with, cheered with, and
learned from--forty four people
who will do incredible things
for this organization and this
industry. SLE is both humbling
and empowering, and even if
you don’t think of yourself as a
politician, app