California FFA News Winter 2015 | Page 8

Update • Regional Update • Regional Update • Regional Update • Regional U San Joaquin Region Update In mid-August, chapter leaders all over the San Joaquin Region came to Camp San Luis Obispo to participate in our annual SJR Boot Camp! The leaders from each respective chapter were challenged mentally, emotionally, and physically. Here, they had to overcome obstacles that helped each chapter realize their team’s potential! Boot Camp was also an environment where chapter leaders were able to open up with one another and bond as a team. This year’s Sectional Officer Leadership Conference was very successful. The Sectional Officers had the opportunity to be a part of the Regional and State Officer workshops. At SOLC, we challenged the Sectional Officers to gain skills and apply them within their team to further their impact in their section. The meaning of our theme, “It Starts With YOU,” is individualization; in the aspect that one must have the desire within them to pave their path in agricultural education. There are endless opportunities for us to take advantage of. It is our choice to take those opportunities and shape ourselves so that WE can impact others. Respectfully Submitted, Kelsey Swall, San Joaquin Region Secretary • Michael Jordan’s protégé, David Beckham’s second coming, ophthalmologist, environmental lawyer or fisheries biologist. As a 14-year old I weighed the plentiful options for my future career, I realized the possibilities for a fulfilling life were nearly endless. Like anyone reading this magazine, I spent many years being told that I could be anything I wanted to be; no matter the scope of my talents or interests. However, the path to identifying what that would be was much more difficult than I imagined. I interned at a doctor’s office, fished on the weekends and played basketball with my friends, but I didn’t like any of those things enough to consider living them day-in and day-out as a job. I had become enthralled with vocational possibilities based on their prestigious-sounding titles, not realizing that the title of a career tells us little about the actual qualities of that occupation. “Agricultural educator” may not turn heads for its prestige or international fame, but the qualities of this career do in fact make for a pretty outstanding life. I had the chance to serve as a keynote speaker at the State FFA Conference this year, and I shared a similar message regarding the beauty of choosing a career in agricultural education. Foremost, you laugh a lot. I know that sounds shallow, but who doesn’t want a job where you get paid to crack up all the time? Sure, the hours can sometimes be long and the challenges can wear on you, but being surrounded by 150 or so awkward teens bent on hijinks and ...the qualities of this career do in fact make for a pretty outstanding life. California FFANEWS • Page 8 • Winter 2015 { Continued on page 9 }