Sikeston Public Schools

Credit: KFVS12

Lots of students in the Future Farmers of America organization have some kind of agriculture experience before joining, but not all of them do.

One Heartland FFA member who doesn’t come from an agriculture background, is ready to learn all about it.

Taking care of class pets is just one of the many reasons why Sikeston FFA President Jordan Pavelka enjoys FFA.

“This year, we’ve been pushing to really expand and really get in our community and show people what we’re doing,” Pavelka said.

Pavelka joined FFA without any agriculture experience, so she said she wants to encourage other students to try new things and challenge themselves just like she does.

“I just want to show them that you do not need to come from an agriculture background to do this, you just really have to have a I can attitude to do this and it’s just so fun and once they get into it, they just realize how fun agriculture is and it’s not just farming and all that stuff it’s really just a big ole community and we have so much fun together,” she said.

She said she looks forward to competitions and making new friends the most.

“FFA is such a great organization to meet people, go new places, we went to FFA nationals, and it was just an amazing experience meeting new people and all the things you see and just seeing so many FFA members together,” she said.

She’ll spend the last months of her senior year preparing for competitions and staying involved to hopefully earn a spot in her classes’ end of the year state convention trip in Columbia.

Before she graduates, she has a message for the younger members.

“Don’t be scared to try something new, always dip your toes in and honestly just go for it because even if you shy away from it a little bit, you won’t get the full experience,” she said.

Pavelka plans to major in accounting and music performance at Southeast Missouri State University in the fall.