|
Stines Earns American Farmer Degree
 Candace Stines receiving her American Farmer Degree at the Kentucky Fair and Expo. By Candace Stines — Wednesday, December 11th, 2013
Honored at 86th National FFA Convention
 86th National FFA Convention Day 1: First, I would like to acknowledge my FFA Advisor and Past Ag. Teacher, Joe Ricards. Without him, receiving my American Farmer Degree wouldn’t even be possible. Thank you for your continued support through out the years Ricards! Alright so back to my trip. Well we left California at 6 AM and arrived in Louisville at 3 PM. Got to the hotel and was dressed in my full uniform by 5 to attend the reception that was put together for all of the American Farmer Degree Recipients at the Kentucky Fair and Expo. I was able to hear the inspiring words of some of the representatives of the companies that continue to support in sponsoring the National FFA Convention. They spoke of us very highly in stating that we we’re very lucky to not only achieve our degree, but to receive our degree in person at the convention. After the reception we went into downtown about 2 blocks from our hotel, and ate a t a very nice restaurant and called it a night. Day 2: The next morning we woke up at 4 AM and got dressed for the big day! Today was the day that I had been waiting for; I was receiving my American Farmer Degree this morning in front of 68,000 people, plus not to mention I’ll be on television! We arrived at the Kentucky Fair and Expo. And in no time, I was seated with many other FFA members around the country receiving their American Farmer Degree. Walking across the stage, receiving my degree was probably one of the best feelings I have ever had. To shake the National Presidents hand and to receive a National Honor was amazing. After, the recognition I was reunited back with my Ag Advisor and parents. We then went to the Shopping Mall that was full of FFA attire and much more. Since we had been there, I had wondered what I could give to Ricards for the past five years helping me achieve greatness through FFA. What better than a pair of Authentic FFA boots for an FFA Advisor! He absolutely loved them! After shopping, we left to the hotel and rested for about an hour until my dad came up with a great idea! That night, we drove 15 minutes out of Louisville to a small town called Shepardsville and went Go-Kart Racing on the longest track in the world! It was so amazing and loads of fun! Afterwards, we went to downtown 4th street and ate at a very nice restaurant and later went to sleep. Day 3: The first event of the day was to eat. We went to a small café called Dish a couple blocks away from the hotel. After we ate, we went to the Louisville Slugger Museum and were able to tour the factory and learn about the history of the Louisville Slugger. Later, we went to tour both Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby. It was so interesting to learn about so much about the Kentucky Derby and the excitement of being there and wearing those ridiculously large hats. Overall, it was a very fun and productive day. After touring Louisville, we picked up our luggage and hit the airport to catch the next flight out of Louisville. The entire trip was absolutely incredible. Being the only FFA Member from the class of 2012 to receive this degree was an absolute honor and a memory that I will surely never forget. Also, only 2 members from Ventura County received their degree this years and this high degree is earned by less than one percent of FFA members around the country. Candace Mae Stines 1. 4-H Fourteen years Community Service |
