During June, three outstanding members of the Alva FFA Chapter were given the opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. for the Washington Leadership Conference. WLC is a conference for incoming senior FFA members across that nation that inspires members to become change makers in their community throughout one of the six weeks of the conference.
Jansen Shirley and Brady Lott attended WLC June 9-17, and agriculture instructor and FFA advisor Adam Lloyd also attended as a sponsor this week. Avery McMurphy attended June 16-24. During this week, FFA members visited several iconic American monuments, Arlington National Cemetery, the U.S. Capitol, along with various museums. They also were given the chance to speak with one of Oklahoma’s U.S. Senators.
This is what Avery McMurphy had to say about her experience in Washington D.C.: “Attending the Washington Leadership Conference in Washington D.C. for a week was an incredible experience. We started by developing our capabilities to be effective change makers and learned strategies to bring these qualities back to our hometown chapters. The conference also included visits to several iconic monuments and a trip to the Capitol, providing a powerful visual representation of change makers throughout history. This experience not only enhanced our leadership skills, but also inspired is to make a meaningful impact in our communities.” Brady Lott had a similar view of WLC saying, “I would highly recommend WLC to anyone. It was one of the fastest weeks of my like and it was so enjoyable.”
WLC puts a strong focus on bringing back skills and inspiration for the betterment of member’s local communities. Jansen Shirley stated, “During WLC we started a community service plan and went in depth on how to accomplish our goals within the plan.” WLC is a great way for our local FFA and community leaders to get excited for a new year and gain the skills that will help them in their current life, and in the rest of their future.
