Becoming an Alabama FFA District or State Officer

Where do I start? • Tell your advisor you want to run. If there are more than one wanting to run, a chapter interview would be necessary to determine the chapter representative.

• Obtain and fill out an application. The application is usually about six pages and requires mainly personal information and experiences that would qualify you to be a District officer.

• Attend the Central District Mock Interviews. Last year, the District FFA Officers put on a Mock Interview for potential District and State officers. These were very realistic and were very effective. The interviewers included past state officers and Agriscience teachers from across the District, all with a good deal of experience.

Before the Interview• STUDY!!!

• Get a good nights sleep

• Eat a light but fulfilling breakfast/ lunch

• Practice answering questions to friends and family members or in a mirror.

• Research current Ag issues

Interview Day!• Be rested! Nerves can be a big problem but take a

deep breath and remember, as long as you try your hardest, you are a winner already because there are others that could NEVER do what you are about to do.

• The order of interviews is posted. You’re next. Take a deep breath and walk into the interview room confidently. A large part of the interview is not the answer you give but how you give it.

• You walk up to the interviewers and shake each hand at the table…

In The Interview Room• And the first question is asked. You realize that

this is not nearly as bad as you had anticipated. You make it through the interview alive and start to worry about whether or not you placed…

• When you start to worry, don’t! Tell yourself whatever happens, happens that you have done your best and that is all that matters.

• Once all individuals have been interviewed, there is a period of time that seems like the longest time you have ever had to wait for something!

After The Interview• When the District Specialist walks in the room, it

is so quiet, you can hear a pin drop. He begins to explain that regardless of whether or not you placed, you should be respectful at all times. He tells the group that the placing's are on the board in the ag room. The group gets up and goes and looks.

• The top six get the officer places. For the new officers, this is a time of excitement while those who weren’t chosen are having a hard time comprehending what has just happened.

The Newly Installed Officer Team• As an officer team, the first meeting was after the last

session of the State Convention and we discussed our first meeting and other items of business to get the team going.

• Soon after, all District and State officers are required to come to DOLC (District Officer Leadership Workshop) in Columbiana where we learn how to put together a workshop, current Ag issues, and even learned many warm up and team building activities.

Duties of a District Officer• As a District officer you will be asked to…

Go on Chapter visits

Attend monthly District Officer meetings

Attend DOLC (District Officer Leadership Conference)

Put on COLW (Chapter Officer Leadership Workshop)

Help host Central District CDE Eliminations

Skills Helpful to a District Officer