(The Atlantic FFA submitted this article)
(Ankeny) On Saturday, December 6th, 2025, FFA members Lauren Comes, Tenley Cappel, and Tiegan Daniel traveled to the FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeny, Iowa, to attend the State Officer Selection Process workshop and Amplify FFA Leadership Conferences. Members from all over Iowa attended the conference, which taught them about leadership and student development.
Lauren attended the State Officer Selection Process workshop (SOSP) in preparation for her potential run for an Iowa FFA State Officer position later this spring. The SOSP workshop focuses on the areas that all State Officer Candidates must prepare for. First each candidate must complete an application. The first interview is a one-on-twelve interview where the candidates should capitalize on this time by making their first impression a lasting impression. Next is the Multiple Choice Test of key issues related to agriculture. Then the Round Robin 1 interview where State officer candidates will engage in a conversation with a knowledge area expert. The One-on-One interview is focused on two objectives. First, this is an opportunity for individual nominating committee members to develop rapport and get to know the candidates in a one-on-one setting.
On day two the candidates will start with a Writing Exercise 1 by completing an in-depth written essay. The written essay will be on a topic relevant to the theme of agriculture, FFA or the American agricultural education system. The next interview is called Stand and Deliver. State officers must consistently be knowledgeable and be able to verbally convey a message in front of a group or crowd. Candidates will have 20 minutes in a private room to prepare for delivering a 3-minute speech. The final interview is another Personal interview. The purpose of this interview is to ask a final set of questions developed by the committee to address competencies such as character, passion for success and influence.
AMPLIFY Conference focuses on student development. This year the conference focused on Purpose: Connect. Care. Create. Establishing a purpose as a daily practice and draft a leader purpose statement. Discovering how people are connected to purpose and identify their talents. Members also learned to discover what it means to live to serve as a leader and examine methods for serving others while pursuing purpose. All of this while Identifying the value in practicing practical self-care as a leader and discovering the difference between living with purpose and completing action items. To wrap up the conference, each member drafted a personal purpose team and identified how to live out a purpose plan at home.
FFA Advisor Eric Miller said, “These conferences are important to help develop the kind of leaders that we need in our school and community. I am glad the Iowa FFA provide us with the opportunity and the students are so willing to give their time to become better leaders.”
Front Row Left to right:Tiegan Daniel, Tenley Cappel and Lauren Comes
