State FFA Day 3 Part 1 - Gabe Poe #3

Today was just as amazing as yesterday. Today we had 3 general sessions and almost no free time, other than the 20 or so minutes between session 1 and lunch. We woke up at about 6:10, no one was happy about getting up. It also took us longer than usual to get into official dress. Once we were dressed we got in line for breakfast. We had biscuits, bacon, and eggs. After breakfast we had our second general session, the first of the day. The presiding officer was the North West district Vice-President, Brian Hale. They gave out a bunch of scholarships and a lot of awards. I was lucky enough to get to be chosen to go onstage and receive our National Chapter award. They also announced the state winner for prepared public speaking. She gave her speech on GMO's and how they help society, against some people’s belief. Then they gave the Honorary State Degree's. Many people got the degree and it was a good ceremony. The keynote speaker for the session was a leadership coach, Kelly Barnes. He told stories about his 2-year-old daughter and how he had found three things that could help us in leadership. He told us to be present, in whatever we do we have to be there doing it physically, mentally, and emotionally. He also told us to appreciate the small things in our lives. He talked about accomplishing your goals but not to forget about the small things that led us to our goals. The third thing he taught us was "be to get." He said that when you be to get, you "get to be."  When he flipped the words the entire room gasped in realization. After the speaker and the awards, the State Reporter, Carson White, gave his retiring address. He talked about the "what if's" in life. He talked about two types; what if's about acting and not acting. He explained that the what if's about something we had done and regretted fade, but the what if's of not acting stay with you forever.