Mountain View HS graduate elected to Future Farmers of America national leadership
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) - Last week, at the National Future Farmers of America convention in Indianapolis, Josiah Cruikshank of Bend was elected Western Region Vice President of the National FFA.
Cruikshank participated in FFA and agriculture classes at Mountain View High School, serving as FFA Vice-President in 2018-2019, and was elected to serve as Oregon FFA State President in 2019-2020.
He is currently a student at Oregon State University, studying business administration and mechanical engineering, and will devote the next year to representing nearly 735,000 FFA members nationwide.
National FFA officers spend a year representing the FFA across the nation in forums, varying from local classrooms to corporate boardrooms. They lead member events, advocate with policy makers and supporters to advance the interests of the FFA and agricultural education programs.
“It's definitely surreal,” Cruikshank said. “To actually be given this platform, to hopefully live a life of service for the betterment of FFA members, is definitely a privilege.”
Cruikshank started his FFA career by taking an agriculture class his freshman year at Mountain View. He was active early on, raising and showing hogs and participating in leadership competitions.
According to Mountain View agriculture instructor Jeff Papke, “Josiah was one of those students we knew would be an outstanding FFA leader from the day he stepped into our classroom. He worked hard, cared about doing things right, and cared about the people around him. We couldn’t be happier to see him elected to national office.”
Cruikshank said he is approaching this year as an opportunity to truly serve the FFA and its members. “I think all any of us can do is live our purpose in service to the people around us,” he said.
FFA is a dynamic youth organization that changes lives and prepares members for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.
