Wesley Sebren (left), Donny Sebren (middle) and Ashlee Sebren (right) smile after Donny received the Louisiana Agriscience Teacher Association Educator Retirement plaque.
For the Sebren family of Louisiana, agriculture education isn’t just a career — it’s a family tradition built on faith, hard work and service. Spanning more than three generations, the Sebrens have dedicated their lives to advocating for agriculture and shaping future leaders through FFA.
Although he was never an FFA member, Donny Sebren spent much of his life teaching. He worked several jobs throughout the years, but the classroom was where he truly belonged. Donny taught until he was more than 80 years old, leaving behind a legacy of dedication that inspired his son, Wesley, to follow in his footsteps.
Wesley with both his children, Ashlee (top left) and Colin (middle right), who were elected to the same office of Louisiana FFA Area 1 secretary nearly 10 years apart.
Wesley’s journey into agricultural education began in high school, under the guidance of his agriculture teacher, Chris Loupe, who encouraged him to get involved in FFA. Wesley showed livestock, competed with a meats evaluation team that won at the state level, and served on a parliamentary procedure team that placed at the state level. Those experiences — combined with his father’s example — set the foundation for a lifelong passion for agricultural education.
After college, Wesley began his teaching career, and eventually found his home at West Ouachita High School, where he has taught for nearly two decades. When the school’s agriculture program began, it had two teachers and around 275 students. Today, it serves more than 340 students with three teachers, and offers a wide range of courses and hands-on opportunities. Under Wesley’s leadership, the West Ouachita FFA Chapter has consistently ranked among Louisiana’s top programs, earning multiple state and national honors.
But for Wesley, the real reward has always been helping students discover their place in agriculture. “It starts in the classroom,” he says. “Most students don’t realize how much agriculture touches their everyday life, from food and clothing to housing. Once they understand that, they start to appreciate how vital this industry is.”
Ashlee Sebren embraces the blue jacket. Through determination and hard work, she’s been successful. She won multiple awards and was elected as the 2016-17 Louisiana FFA state treasurer.
Growing up surrounded by that passion, Ashlee Sebren naturally gravitated toward FFA. She joined as a student at West Ouachita High School. At first, she wanted to make her dad proud, but quickly found her own reason to stay. Competing in competitions like employment skills and poultry, serving as an area and chapter officer and becoming a state FFA officer helped Ashlee discover her calling.
“During my state officer year, I met people from all over the country and learned so much about myself,” she says. “That’s when I knew agricultural education was where I belonged.”
Today, Ashlee teaches agriculture at Delhi Charter School, where she’s already making her mark by producing three Area I officers this year. Like her father and grandfather before her, she’s committed to giving students the same opportunities that shaped her. “By helping students see how agriculture connects to their lives,” she says, “I can continue the legacy my family started.”
Three generations later, the Sebren family continues to live the FFA motto of “Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live, Living to Serve.”
