Success Stories

Clarke Central FFA Chapter
Athens, GA

“I’m not going to let living in a neighborhood affect my passion for agriculture.”

Kathleen Dykes lives on a one acre lot in a neighborhood in Athens, but that hasn’t stopped her from being involved in agriculture.  “I walk my show pigs around the neighborhood.  My neighbors, and even my classmates, stop and ask what I’m doing.  It makes for some interesting conversations, and it’s a chance for me to tell them about FFA and agriculture.”

Kathleen is a senior at Clarke Central High School has been involved in FFA all four years.  “When I started my freshman year, I signed up for the Basic Ag class.  I was elected the Officer Chairman of my chapter, and I also started showing pigs that year.  My freshman year was my first year at Clarke Central and I thought some of my friends might look down on me for being active in FFA, but I was determined to be who I am and do what I am passionate about.”

Even though Kathleen lives in town, one of her Supervised Agriculture Experience (SAE) programs is Swine Production.  She says showing pigs isn’t just about the animals, but also about the community and other FFA members, friends and parents she has met through her swine SAE.  “We are like a family.”

Kathleen’s other SAE is an internship at a local produce farm.  She spent this past summer harvesting okra, corn, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, peas, watermelons and cantaloupes.  The produce was sold at local farmers’ markets, and Kathleen’s employer allowed her to market the produce and set all the prices.  “My favorite part of the job is talking to the customers,” says Kathleen, without any hesitation.

Kathleen has competed in the Employment Skills Leadership Development Event (LDE), and the Poultry Evaluation and Farm Business Management Career Development Events (CDEs).  This past summer, she was awarded a scholarship from the Foundation to attend Washington Leadership Conference (WLC).  Kathleen and her sister, McKinley, also a Clarke Central FFA member, won Division 6 of the Agriscience Fair-Animal Systems Category.  The sisters conducted a research project on broiler chickens.  They fed half of their broilers once a day and fed the other half twice a day to see how the feeding schedules affected their hearts.  They concluded the chickens fed twice a day had larger hearts, which can affect how long they live, so once a day feeding is best for chickens’ overall health.

In addition to FFA, Kathleen is a volunteer at Sacred Roots Farm, which serves women who have been addicts and/or have been human trafficked.  After graduation, Kathleen plans to attend Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) in Tifton and major in Ag Business and Livestock Production.  She hopes to one day own her own business, possibly a show pig business.

When asked why she thinks it’s important to give to the Foundation, Kathleen says, “Giving to the Foundation provides opportunities to FFA members and provides encouragement to find something in agriculture they love to do.  FFA helped me grow out of my shell and step out of my comfort zone.  I plan to give back to FFA.”

Sumter County FFA Chapter
Americus, GA

“After I joined FFA, I saw the bigger picture and realized I could be a farmer.”

Joan Tovar-Martinez has always wanted to be a farmer.  He grew up watching his grandfather farm, and saw how hard his grandfather worked.  Joan wants to continue that legacy, and he knows he has the passion to do so.  Joan joined the Sumter County FFA Chapter during his junior year in high school after attending a Sumter County Young Farmers meeting with his employer, Mr. John Minor.  The FFA advisor, Mr. Ben Pope, encouraged Joan to become a member of FFA.  He attended his first meeting and knew he had found his place.  His first FFA competition was the South Region Welding Contest.  He didn’t place, but he wasn’t deterred.

Joan’s Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) program is working at Minor Brothers Farms, a 25,000 acre farm that grows corn, cotton and peanuts.  Joan is involved in every aspect of the farm, from planting to harvesting.  When Joan first began working at Minor Brothers, he learned how to safely operate the tractors and implements.  He also helped with the maintenance of the irrigation units, rippers, planters and harvesters.  His duties on the farm grew as his confidence grew, and now Joan manages the corn drying facility.  He is responsible for record keeping, tracking load origins as well as beginning and ending moisture levels.  Joan also manages all of the farm’s center pivots.  Joan uses an app on his mobile device to troubleshoot any technical issues related to the pivots.  He obtained his Private Pesticide Applicator license so he can operate the sprayer and handle chemicals.  “Technology is changing everyday,” said Joan.  “We have to keep up with the new technology to farm more efficiently.”

Last October at the 95^th National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Joan was named the Grain Production National Proficiency Winner.  This award was based on his SAE program.  After completing a proficiency application process, Joan was named the state winner and then one of four national finalists.  Joan was interviewed by a panel of judges during the convention, and then was named the national winner.

When asked about the impact FFA has had on him, Joan says he has grown his leadership skills, made connections in his community and across the state and developed friendships that will last a lifetime.  “FFA has developed me into the person I am today,” Joan said.  “I used to be very shy.  Without FFA, I wouldn’t have had the confidence to carry on a conversation with an adult outside of my family.  I always thought I would be a farm worker or laborer, but after I joined FFA, I saw the bigger picture and realized I could be a farmer.”

Joan graduated from Sumter County High School in the spring of 2023, and is now a freshman at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) in Tifton.  He is a member of the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) cohort and is majoring in Agricultural Technology Management with a minor in Agribusiness.  His future plans are to own his own farm and to possibly work in H2A labor contracting.  He can’t wait to see his grandfathers’ and parents’ smile when he becomes the first person in his family to graduate from college.

Through the Foundation, Joan was recognized for his accomplishments with awards and funds to travel and compete at the national level.  Joan was also the recipient of a post-secondary scholarship awarded by the Foundation.  “I am grateful to donors who provide funds to help Georgia FFA members like me.  It helps those FFA members see a greater potential to achieve their dreams and find their passion in agriculture.  In 10 years, I want to be financially stable, I want my family to see how far I’ve come, and I want to help others achieve their dreams by giving back to FFA.”

Meet Kristian Ellison:

FFA Alumnus and Owner of Kristian Designs in Statesboro, Ga

For Kristian Ellison, what began as an elective in high school grew into a lifelong passion and a thriving floral business.

Ellison graduated from Southeast Bulloch High School, home to a strong agricultural education program. She was an extremely shy student, often avoiding situations that required public speaking or stepping outside her comfort zone. When it came time to choose electives, agriculture classes felt like the safest option— little did she know it would change her life.

“I took my first agriculture class my sophomore year, and I quickly fell in love with the plant side of things,” she said. “Working in the greenhouse and learning about flowers just clicked for me.”

Noticing her growing interest, her agricultural educator encouraged her to enroll in a floral design class and eventually join FFA to compete in the Floral Design Career Development Event (CDE). Kristian took the leap and never looked back.

The moment she competed in the Floral Design CDE sparked a deeper commitment to the organization and the industry. She also completed a Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) and competed with her Proficiency in the area of Diversified Agriculture. Outside of FFA, she gained hands-on experience in greenhouses and working at a local flower shop for more than two years.

“FFA opened so many doors for me,” she said. “It helped me come out of my shell, become more confident communicating, and understand what all goes into the floral industry.”

At just 19 years old, shortly after graduating high school, Ellison took a bold step and opened her own business. Nearly a decade later, she is the owner of Kristian Designs, a successful floral business specializing in weddings and events. Her days are filled with client emails, Zoom consultations, event walk-throughs, and hands-on floral preparation. During peak wedding weeks, the work is nonstop, often involving 12+ hour days and detailed logistical planning. Kristian does not have a floral cooler, so all of her designs are fresh and take more time the day of the event. She also creates floral designs for Georgia Southern University alumni events, a partnership she has maintained since 2019.

One common misconception she encounters is that floral design is an easy profession.

“People think you just play with flowers,” she said. “But it’s long hours, a lot of preparation, and a ton of behind-the-scenes work. It’s much harder than people realize.”

“No matter what career you want to go into, there’s something in FFA that can help you. Floral design taught me skills and introduced me to people who helped shape my career. I’d tell any student interested to just do it, take that leap.”

Kristian’s story shows us how FFA can shape confidence, open doors, and turn a simple class into a lifelong career. Through hands-on learning, leadership development, and real-world experience, FFA helped her discover her passion and take bold steps as a young entrepreneur.

Meet Mrs. Rachel Kinsaul:

2026 Georgia Department of Education Teacher of the Year

“My goal as an agriculture teacher is to be involved in the community as much as possible.”

Mrs. Rachel Kinsaul, an agricultural educator at Morgan County High School, was recently named the 2026 Georgia Department of Education Teacher of the Year.

Mrs. Kinsaul grew up on a beef cattle farm in Greene County, Ga where she attended a private school in grades K-12. After high school, she went on to the University of Georgia (UGA) to pursue a degree in animal science. It was there that she was first introduced to the idea of becoming an agricultural educator. She enjoyed working with students and teaching them animal science while working a summer job, which led her to realize that she would like a career in agricultural education. After completing her undergraduate degree, Mrs. Kinsaul continued her studies at UGA and earned her Master’s Degree in Agricultural Education.

Mrs. Kinsaul’s now 15 year teaching career began at Pike County Middle School, where she taught for three years. She then spent two years at Loganville High School before moving to Morgan County High School, where she has now been for 10 years.

Throughout her career, Mrs. Kinsual has earned many accomplishments. Two of her students have gone on to win National FFA Proficiency Awards, one in Nursery Operations and another in Grain Production. She says Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAEs) are one of the most important parts of her program because they give students the chance to connect classroom learning with hands-on experiences. Another part of her program that Kinsaul  is proud of is the chapters’ Agricultural Issues Career Development Event team. This team focuses on real-world issues in the agriculture industry, and challenges students to research, think critically, and even talk with professionals about their topics.

The best type of education is hand-on learning according to Mrs. Kinsaul. She works to make her classroom and program engaging so that students can see what they are learning about. For her, it’s about making sure students leave her program with career ready skills and knowledge they can use beyond high school.

Mrs. Kinsaul’s philosophy of teaching is centered around her community. Whether it’s fundraisers, livestock shows, or community events, she sees herself as a “connector” of people. She often asks her fellow agricultural educators to think about their program’s role in the community by posing the question, “If your program was closed today, who in your community would fight for you?”

Being named Georgia’s Teacher of the Year comes with new responsibilities. Mrs. Kinsaul will take a one year leave from her classroom to serve as an ex-officio member of the State Board of Education, give keynote addresses, attend conferences, and help lead professional development classes for other educators. She says the leadership in Morgan County has helped her accomplish so much already, and she hopes to use this new platform to explain the importance of communities seeing the relevance of their agricultural education programs.

Even with all the accomplishments and new duties ahead, Mrs. Kinsaul’s favorite part of her job hasn’t changed – building relationships with students. She enjoys getting to know them throughout high school and watching them grow into successful college students or members of the workforce. Agriculture education is unique, she believes it allows teachers and students to spend extra time together traveling to events, working on SAEs, and going to livestock shows. Those moments create strong personal connections that make a lasting difference.