Alumna Finds Renewed Strength in FFA

Since her childhood, FFA has been a huge part of Shelby Malone’s life. Growing up as the daughter of Aberdeen FFA advisor Cody Park, the organization surrounded Malone through highs and lows.

“I remember putting [my jacket] on for the first time, and something just awoke in me,” Malone says. “I thought, ‘This is where I’m supposed to be.’”

Now an Aberdeen FFA Alumna, she played an active role in her Idaho chapter. In addition to helping create Aberdeen’s middle school FFA chapter, Malone served as chapter and district president and ran for state office.

Seeking Help

Outside of the blue jacket, however, Malone faced struggles with her mental health, even spending some of her freshman year in high school in a treatment facility. Through it all, FFA remained her rock, giving her friends and support to carry on.

“There was a time when I had no hope for myself,” Malone says. “It was the people who saw that potential in me that kept me going.”

Malone recognizes that in agriculture, stigma often surrounds asking for help. She wants her story to remind others that it is human to struggle.

“It’s not weak to ask for help,” Malone says. “It’s actually one of the strongest things you can do.”

She also sees strength in hearing from others. Malone found similarities between her journey and that of 2024-25 Idaho FFA State Secretary Aislyn King, another member who bravely shared her story of mental health struggles.

“I really want people to know that they are not alone, because for a long time, I thought I was,” Malone says.

Malone also hopes to foster a greater culture of mental health conversations in agriculture as she works toward her American FFA Degree. With the support she received from her family, FFA chapter, father and past advisor, Chaney Upton, Malone learned that resilience grows stronger when shared.

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