Lt. Jeff Collins knew he wanted to support the National FFA Organization, even while he was out at sea during his tours of duty with the U.S. Navy. He didn’t have to think twice the second he saw the organization was an option for him to support through a Navy-Marine Corps opportunity.
While he never wore a blue jacket himself, he said he knows how much of an impact the organization can make on someone’s life.
“My ties to FFA are not traditional by any means,” Collins said while aboard the USS Pinckney, where he is the chief engineer while conducting an enhanced counter-narcotics mission throughout the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean. “But the organization kept coming back into my life in various ways throughout the years. It seemed meant to be.”
Collins grew up on a farm in Bowersville, Ohio, and his dad was a former FFA member. He later became close with a family he met through a local church in California that included an FFA member from San Benito County High School. This relationship inspired him to support the organization through becoming a Rising Sun level individual donor as soon as the opportunity arose.
“I was able to see first-hand how FFA helps young people,” Collins said. “It really cultivated my interest in the organization and helped me become more aware of how these students are leading and influencing the world of agriculture.”
After earning his Bachelor of Science in 2012 from the United States Naval Academy, Collins completed division officer tours aboard USS Kidd from 2012 to 2017. During his time at sea, he completed a deployment to the Western Pacific Ocean.
In 2019, he went on to earn a Master of Science through the Undersea Warfare Program from the Navy Postgraduate School.
“One day, when I’m out of the Navy, my heart is set on going back to Ohio to pursue farming,” Collins said. “That has always been a long-term goal of mine.”
Collins hopes his annual gift helps more students achieve their own goals.
“I hope it provides an opportunity to pursue leadership opportunities at a young age and gets them excited about developing their personal skills and talents,” Collins said. “I want students to value the importance that agriculture plays in our society to this day. I believe that the basic life-sustaining function of agriculture doesn’t get the necessary attention it deserves and continues to play a key role in our society.”
