Interconnected: Texas State Officers Visit 98th Annual California State Conference
From March 21-24 this year, 8,000 California FFA members, including me, and guests attended the 98th annual California State Leadership Conference in Ontario, Calif. As I sat there, enchanted by the opening skit from the California FFA State Officers, my attention was immediately caught by two people a few rows down. On the back of their jackets, embroidered in gold, was ‘Texas FFA Association.” I was shocked to say the least. I expected national officers and alumni, but seeing another state association at a California conference was a first for me.
Questions ran through my mind: Why are they here? What do they think about our conference? How different is their conference compared to this? I was burning with curiosity and knew I had to find the answers to these questions. So, I reached out and received a response from Texas FFA State Officer Carlos X Guerra III.
Who is Carlos Guerra?
Guerra is the Texas FFA Area X vice president, but beyond the blue jacket, he is an ag kid through and through. Born and raised in Southern Texas, Guerra has agriculture running through his veins. He is a sixth-generation agricultural producer and rancher, and this passion carries over into his advocacy for and promotion of agricultural programs and committees. He is a photographer in his free time and loves capturing images through his lens.
Texas State Officer Carlos Guerra with California FFA members.
What might surprise people about Texas FFA?
One thing California FFA and Texas FFA have in common is both have some of the largest memberships in the National FFA Organization. Because of that, there are plenty of interesting similarities and differences between the two associations. I asked Guerra to share a few surprising insights:
- Texas FFA has more than 1,000 chapters.
- While California has six state officers, Texas has 12.
- Despite the state’s size, Texas FFA is highly interconnected.
While California has its state convention in the spring, Texas FFA has its state convention from July 6-10 at the Fort Worth Convention Center.
Texas State Officers Carlos Guerra and Tucker Smith with National FFA Central Region Vice President Mary Schrieber.
What was your experience like at the California State Conference?
Guerra had a lot of praise for California FFA members. He described the overwhelming kindness members showed him, and was amazed at how hype the conference got. In fact, he told one of his teammates, “These kids here are just as loud as convention, if not more.” Texas has 18,000 members at the state conference, compared to California’s 8,000. This excitement was “refreshing,” as he was so excited to see so many excited about the future of agriculture.
Texas State Officers Carlos Guerra and Tucker Smith.
What is your favorite memory from the California FFA State Conference?
When asked his favorite memory from the California conference, Guerra described one of California FFA Association’s best state conference traditions: pin trading! In Texas FFA, there are six pins to collect at the conference. In California FFA, every chapter brings its own custom pin to trade with other chapters. Carlos and his teammates traded many pins and were gifted numerous others during their stay at the conference. By the end, their lanyards were stacked!
Texas State Officers Tucker Smith and Carlos Guerra.
What surprised you about California FFA?
“Opening session was at 8 p.m.!” Guerra exclaimed, not used to the late start. Regardless of how late it was, he enjoyed how California FFA members were so excited and hyped up, even so late at night, despite the long travels some chapters had to make earlier in the day. He especially enjoyed the keynote speaker, California Secretary of Agriculture Karen Ross.
Texas State Officers Tucker Smith and Carlos Guerra.
Interconnected
Despite being thousands of miles away from California, the Texas State officers truly enjoyed their stay and the conference. Seeing the conference being hosted and meeting the state officers was truly an experience for them. “Their year was truly inspiring,” and its effects spread “across the nation.”
It all just goes to show how connected we are, despite being spread across over 52 state associations. The National FFA Organization brings together minds from every corner of the United States, and it’s one of the best things about our organization.
We’re glad Texas FFA officers enjoyed their stay in California. We wish the rest of the state associations holding their state conferences/conventions the best of luck.
Listen to Neha’s interview with Texas State Officer Carlos Guerra.
