Meet Erianna Vela
Erianna Vela is a senior at Prairie Heights High School. Vela is currently serving as her chapter’s president and as the Indiana FFA District III student advisor.
Vela’s introduction to FFA came during her freshman year, at a time when she was simply looking for a place to belong. Before then, she had no background in agriculture and was unfamiliar with the organization. When she enrolled in a principles of agriculture class, she initially felt out of place. However, her teacher, Mrs. Koeppe, saw something in her and encouraged her to try the FFA Parliamentary Procedure Leadership Development Event (LDE).
It was through this event that she found her community. “I found a group of people who loved, encouraged and accepted me for who I was,” says Vela.
The 2024-25 Indiana FFA District III Officer Team.
A Calling to the Classroom
From that moment on, Vela embraced every opportunity FFA had to offer. Among her favorite memories are her chapter’s achievement trip to Canada, state conventions, counseling at leadership conferences, and the camaraderie formed during bus rides and late-night contest prep sessions.
Throughout her FFA journey, she’s competed in several competitions, including the Parliamentary Procedure LDE, Soils Judging Career Development Event (CDE), Food Science (CDE), and Premier Leadership LDE. Her favorite competition throughout the years, however, has been the Prepared Public Speaking LDE.
“I have competed in this the last four years, and it has greatly shaped me and my FFA journey,” Vela says. “This particular competition has brought me countless joys and discomforts. A joy was making it to state my sophomore and junior years with the help of my advisors.”
One of those discomforts, however, came the summer after her junior year when a serious head injury on the school farm prevented her from fully attending the Indiana FFA state convention. Despite her condition, her parents drove her down for the day so she could compete. “It was hard to perform with a concussion and skull fractures, and I didn’t do as well as I hoped,” Vela says. “I was proud to show my dedication to public speaking and FFA.”
Growing Together
The National FFA Organization has left a lasting impact on Vela’s life. “Going into freshman year, I was very independent, shy and quiet,” she says. “I was searching for a place to belong. FFA helped me explore new horizons and grow in my public speaking and leadership skills.”
Vela also gained confidence within herself — and the abilities she’s found through FFA — while making countless lasting friendships in FFA. “I had a hard time maintaining friendships,” she says. “However, when I joined FFA, I fostered lifelong connections with people who encouraged me to grow and loved me for the woman God made me to be.”
Learning to Do
Through FFA, Vela has not only developed strong leadership skills, but also gained a deeper understanding of the agriculture industry — an area she was not familiar with growing up. “FFA also gives me the chance to use hands-on experiences to grow my knowledge and skill in certain sectors of agriculture,” she adds.
For example, last summer, Vela and two FFA members worked as interns on the school’s farm, where they were responsible for maintaining the farm, livestock and community centers as well as preparing the shop and agriculture building for the upcoming school year. Vela has medicated calves, operated hand tools and machinery and built structures — experiences she wouldn’t have gotten elsewhere.
The Prairie Heights FFA Chapter Officers.
Teacher in the Making
Vela’s Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) reflects her passion for both teaching and agriculture. “I run the GROWTH program in my FFA chapter,” she says. “In this program, I go to five second grade classes every week, starting in December, and give 10–15 minute lesson plans about plants.”
The project helps students grow and take home their own plants — a process Vela uses to develop skills in teaching, public speaking and connecting with young learners. “My SAE has aided in teaching me how to advocate for the agriculture industry and given me the opportunity to get hands-on experience that goes hand in hand with my future career.”
Inspired to Inspire
That career, she hopes, will be as an agriculture teacher — an ambition shaped by the impact her own mentors, Mr. Leu, Mrs. Tracey, Mr. Noll and Mrs. Koeppe, have had on her.
“I now know I want to be an agriculture teacher and encourage my students in the influential way my advisors have encouraged me,” Vela says. “If it weren’t for Mrs. Koeppe encouraging me to participate in parliamentary procedure my freshman year, I would have never entered an organization that has fostered immense growth in my life throughout the last four years.
“Every effective, impactful teacher has what my English teacher likes to call a ‘why’ — the reason and passion behind every engaging lesson and every prudent interaction.”
For Vela, her “why” will be her agriculture teachers and advisors. They allowed her to overcome adversity and gave her a safe space to explore new horizons, especially through an organization that has given her opportunities beyond anything she could have imagined.
“I will share the passion I have for agriculture and FFA with my students in hopes of instilling that same passion into them — therefore inspiring them to join a field in desperate need of committed and fervent leaders,” Vela says.
A Passion for Service and Education
This summer, Vela plans to run for Indiana FFA state office. “My biggest goal in this is to serve the organization and people who have done so much for me,” she says, “[I also want] to serve as a role model for someone who didn’t grow up on a farm, but has found their footing in FFA.”
Regardless of the outcome, she plans to attend Purdue University and major in agricultural education before returning to the classroom — this time as a teacher.
Vela encourages FFA members to “step out of your comfort zone. It is the only way you will grow. Take advantage of the countless opportunities this organization has to offer, and always remember failure is a part of every successful person’s journey.”
