For Chloe Hobbs, a 19-year-old FFA member from North Carolina, nothing was more stressful than applying to be a state officer in a year like 2020.
“In June of last year, I logged on to several Zoom calls in my corduroy jacket to vie for a position on the FFA state officer team,” Hobbs said. “Praise the Lord, I was chosen.”
Hobbs has since been keeping herself busy with leadership development, outreach programs and other state officer duties. However, she hasn’t been doing it alone—in addition to bonding with
State FFA officer Chloe Hobbs
her fellow officers, Hobbs has developed a strong relationship with her assigned mentor.
Carrie Gray is a community relations manager for BASF, a multinational chemical company. She is a member of the BASF corporate alumni chapter and a Lifetime FFA member. Gray said she had met Hobbs once or twice at prior FFA functions in the state, but they really got to know each other last August.
“I always tell people relationships and networking are key to being successful,” Gray said.
Newly elected state officers are assigned mentors by their state’s FFA coordinator, so Hobbs and Gray were partnered up.
“In August, we set up our first mentorship meeting via Zoom,” Hobbs said. “Since then, we have been meeting monthly through virtual platforms. … On our first call, I was not sure what to expect, but she welcomed me with open arms.”
Although the two women haven’t met in-person due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Gray said they have become very close over the past several months.
“Being a state officer during COVID-19 has been tough,” Gray said.”
I have been able to give Chloe some real-world guidance and support to help her be successful.”
Hobbs said one of Gray’s best pieces of advice came during their first meeting in August: “You have to have grace and honesty.” Hobbs said these words stuck with her, and Gray has shared many more “doses of wisdom” since.
“Any time I have struggles …, I go to Mrs. Carrie,” Hobbs said. “She gives me all the time I need to rant and then [she] gives me tangible advice. She has helped me through some of my toughest times in the blue jacket.”
Gray’s mentorship is about more than advice, though. She has also coordinated a TV appearance for Hobbs on North Carolina’s largest news network, and Hobbs will soon be attending a global BASF agriculture meeting.
“I feel it is my duty as a woman in the agriculture industry to do all I can to help lift up and support the next generation of leaders,” Gray said. “Experiences like this one will encourage young people to go into the ag industry.”
FFA mentor Carrie Gray with her son
Hobbs said her career development with Gray has been invaluable, but the best part of the mentorship is that they’re both learning from each other.
“I think this partnership has been successful because it has been mutual,” Hobbs said. “If it were a one-way street, our mentorship would fail.”
Gray agreed, adding that her time with Hobbs has helped her better understand the lives of young people in agriculture.
“I feel like I know her older sister and her younger siblings and mom and dad,” Gray said. “She has heard all about my husband, two teenage boys and four dogs. We truly developed a friendship.”
Hobbs and Gray both highly recommend that FFA members talk with their ag teachers and start a mentorship with a professional in their field. Gray added that ag professionals will get just as much out of it as their mentees.
“FFA members are some pretty amazing individuals,” Gray said.
Visit the Forever Blue Network to find a mentor who can provide information in your field of interest and talk about his or her own career path, as well as provide guidance, motivation, emotional support, and role modeling. A mentor can also help with setting goals, developing contacts, and identifying resources.
