Being the Best I Can Be

One way of looking at life is to consider it a competition. There are old sayings such as, "the early bird gets the worm," which describe the day to day rivals throughout life. In many situations there are winners, and then there are the losers. There can be several reasons for why the winners come out on top, most often they are at the top of their game. A time where I felt I did my absolute best, and also achieved my goal was when I was elected a Northeast District FFA Officer.
For those of you who are not familiar with FFA, it's an organization which is heavily involved with agriculture education. FFA starts at the chapter level in the class room at high schools across the country. The next level is districts; in Iowa there are six districts. Each level encompasses a larger area with the next level being state, and then nationals. The district officer team is in charge of organizing events for the district including competitions, and responsibilities which are parallel with setting up, like fund raising money for the district. Before applying to be a district officer, I was the reporter for my FFA chapter and enjoyed the work I was responsible for and the leadership position. I was looking for an opportunity to become more involved with an organization I had become passionate about and also hold a position which required leadership skills. After consulting my ag advisor, I decided to run for a district office.
I first filled out an application which after many drafts, I finally submitted. I recorded Northeast Vice President and Reporter as the positions I was aiming to obtain. The next step was to prepare for District Officer interviews which consist of a personal interview, a group activity, and a test over the FFA Foundation. Over the next week, I studied hard for several hours memorizing everything there was to know about the FFA. The day of interviews seemed to come much faster than I had anticipated, but I felt I was ready to rock my interview. When the interview finally came, I had sweaty palms and was nervous as could be, but I held my composure and answered the questions to the best of my ability. The next morning, I arrived at school 45 minutes early to see if I had made ballot or not. It turned out that not only had I made ballot, but I was balloted for the reporter position which is one of the toughest offices to get balloted for! I was ecstatic, but it also meant I had more hard work ahead of me.
Since I was balloted, the next and final step was to compete at districts for my office against the other person who was balloted for reporter. This process involves "campaigning" during the day, and giving a short speech and answering questions from delegates. Each school in the district has two delegates who represent the school during the election process. Although I am comfortable with public speaking, I had a difficult time writing my required speech. I wanted the speech to be "just right." It needed to be catchy and inspirational all at the same time; I needed it to engrave a positive impression of me in the delegate's minds. After many edits and help from classmates, I finally had my speech. Over the next few days, I practiced my speech and rehearsed my answers to any questions I might be asked. Just as District Officer Interviews, the day of Districts seemed to arrive all to fast, but I felt I was well prepared. Looking back now, the day seems to be a blur. I conversed with people in the morning, gave my speech in the afternoon (with no mistakes), and answered questions with what I felt were satisfactory answers. When it came time to wait for the end of the closing session where the new District Officer team was to be announced, I felt I had done my best and my hard work of preparing for the day had paid off. After waiting for what seemed to be eternity, it was finally time to find out the results. My name was read off the office of reporter, and my chapter cheered loudly for me. While standing on stage with the rest of my new fellow team mates, I was in shock. My hard work had paid off, and I had preformed at the top of my game to accomplish and obtain my goal of becoming a District Officer. It was a very memorable moment for me.
Being a District Officer provided me with many opportunities to meet new people, make new friends, and improve my leadership skills. Although at times it required much extra effort and work on my part, I am still glad I had the opportunity and experience. Everyone has accomplishments in life, and I feel being elected a Northeast District Officer can be considered an accomplishment of mine. It took much work and dedication, but by being prepared and fiercely competing, I was the best I could be.