January 2008

Recent Events
SSI at FFA Career Show

In October SSI staffers Christian Martinez and Michelle Médal set up a State Scholars booth at the Future Farmers of America (FFA) National Agriculture Career Show in Indianapolis, the first time SSI has been featured at a career event. The show drew close to 50,000 FFA student members, teachers, and counselors from across the country.

Martinez and Médal explained SSI’s goals to students, guidance counselors, and parents who visited the booth, drawn by an eye-catching display highlighting the SSI Core Course of Study. The display, created by SSI graphic designer, Candy Allen, also featured quotes from students who’ve graduated as Scholars and examples of SSI medals. Visitors were told about the value of taking a more rigorous course of study in high school, as well as the financial benefits that may be available to State Scholars who qualify for Academic Competitiveness Grants. A sample “career cluster” worksheet showed students how the SSI Core Course of Study aligns with required courses for those intending to major in agricultural sciences in college.

Stopping by the booth were students, parents and counselors from almost every state and territory, including Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah , Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Students seemed motivated to learn more about the program, asking lots of questions before walking away with the Scholars “Do the Math” postcards. Parents were especially interested in the financial benefits that may be available to their children, while many counselors said they intended to return home and talk to someone about how to get the program into their schools.