Event-Related Feature. Blue Jacket and Bright Dreams Written by: Kaleigh Lynch Word Count: 1,510! 1!

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1 Event-Related Feature Blue Jacket and Bright Dreams Written by: Kaleigh Lynch Word Count: 1,510! 1!

2 Boom boom, boom boom, boom. The sound overtook all his thoughts as he walked down the never-ending hallway toward the stage. The sweat on his palms was forcing him to loose his grip on the plaque, and butterflies in his stomach made him feel as if he might flutter towards the sky. Finally, bright overhead lights hit him as he entered the stage while eyes watched. This feeling has become second nature to Joshua Conaway each year when he attends the National FFA Convention, he said. I have placed on the national level with my proficiency awards for the past three years, said Joshua Conaway, an Oklahoma State University agribusiness/pre-law junior. I was runnerup my first year and was the national winner the following two years. Growing up in the small town of Ringwood Okla., Conaway s involvement in the FFA and proficiencies began his freshman year of high school, when he enrolled in agricultural education. My FFA advisor my freshman year, Mr. Grant Gungol, was the one who helped me get started with proficiency awards and public speaking, Conaway said. Conaway said his supervised agricultural experience was developed from a lawnmowing business he started in the sixth grade. I started mowing family members yards, Conaway said. It soon grew into all of my family and family members friends. Conaway said his freshman year of high school he added landscaping packages, flowerbeds and chemical application to his lawn operation. My FFA advisor encouraged me to go ahead and expand to other things besides just mowing, Conaway said. I am glad I did because that is where the real money is made.! 2!

3 Conaway said his sophomore year, he further expanded by offering fishponds, hydroponics and other aquaculture features to his business. He said he started this aspect of his business from 100 free fish and plant cuttings he obtained from friends and other members of his community. I learned phenomenal time management skills through my SAE, Conaway said. I also learned the importance of dedication, because honestly, filling out proficiency applications is not the most fun thing to do. Conaway said employing his football teammates to assist him with his ever-growing business also helped teach him valuable leadership skills. The key to being good at proficiency awards is really just being good at filling out the application, Conaway said. He would know too, Conaway has filled out proficiency awards in four areas: turf grass management, landscape management, nursery operations and diversified horticulture. Another key, Conaway said, to having a winning proficiency application is keeping good records, reviewing and revising the application multiple times, and having a strong support system. I was lucky enough to have many connections through my mom to help me critique and edit my proficiencies, Conaway said. Bea Paul from Autry Tech was a very big help, she would critique my applications and also help me prepare for the interview process. Conaway is a strong family man and often thanks and credits his family for helping and supporting him through his many trials and achievements. We tried to help him with encouragement, advice and moral support, said Tammie Conaway, his mother.! 3!

4 She also praised the soft skills she believed her son had achieved through his participation in the FFA and SAE experience. Joshua's involvement in his proficiency projects has brought out many positive attributes, she said. The FFA, establishing these as competitive events, undoubtedly increased his drive and motivation to excel. Learning these valuable attributes will help him in every endeavor Joshua intends to accomplish throughout his life. When asked what advice he had to offer to other students looking to be successful in proficiency awards, Conaway said he would encourage all students to apply and not to let the size or description of their operation keep them from applying. I was just a small- town, one-owner operation, Conaway said. I did not have contracts with any major outside companies, but I never let that stop me. Who knows where I might be today if I never tried, Conaway said. You are never going to win if you never fill anything out. Never let fear stop you from trying. He said many students are unaware of the numerous proficiency divisions they could apply for. Multiple divisions do not even receive applications, he said. Conaway briefly explained the multi-step process he went through to reach the national winning level. Completed applications are sent to the Oklahoma Department of Career Tech by the given due date. Then the applications are judged and the top three are chosen, he said. The top three proficiencies in each area are recognized on stage at the state FFA convention, and the first place application goes on to the national contest, said Justin Turner, past Oklahoma FFA state officer and 2012 national FFA officer nominating committee member.! 4!

5 After winning on the state level, our applications are given back to us critiqued by the state department, then we submit them to nationals, Conaway said. The applications are all graded by rubric, said Kent Boggs, Oklahoma executive FFA secretary. We can see were students scored the lowest and have them go back and correct those areas, Boggs said. Oklahoma has a tradition of excellence on the national level in the area of proficiency awards. I!think!it!is!because!we!put!a!strong!emphasis!on!our!SAE!programs,!I!believe!a!lot! of!states!do!not!place!such!a!strong!emphasis!on!them,!boggs!said.!! Oklahoma!also!has!an!opportunity!the!week!before!the!national!convention!to!help! students!prepare!for!the!national!interview!process.!! Proficiency!finalists!come!for!a!workout,!Boggs!said.! We!provide!judges,!we!ask!them!to! be!in!official!dress!and!we!take!them!all!the!way!through!the!interview!process,!! The!differences!between!us!and!other!states!is!we!don t!go!through!an!interview! process!on!the!state!level,!so!this!is!their!opportunity!to!do!so!before!nationals,!boggs!said.!! The!state!contest!and!the!national!contest!are!very!different,!Conaway!said.! I! would!spend!hours!memorizing!my!records!and!application!to!prepare!for!the!national! contest s!interview!process.! By applying for proficiencies, keeping thorough, complete record books, and practicing his interview skills; Conaway has been able to achieve numerous FFA accomplishments. He received his Oklahoma State FFA Degree in 2011, was named the 2011 State Star in Agribusiness, and was elected served on the Oklahoma State FFA Officer Team.! 5!

6 He was also able to win an expense-paid trip to Costa Rica through his national proficiency application. If you were a national finalist, you could send in a separate application to go on this trip, Conaway said. You had to go through an interview and write a small essay. You found out you won the same time you discovered your proficiency award placing. He said this trip was the best week of his entire FFA experience. Through his involvement in proficiency awards, Conaway was able to make the valuable connection, which led to his summer internship. I met Rod Whitney with Monsanto at a proficiency award luncheon, Conaway said. I had just written a paper over genetically modified crops, and we got to talking. I guess I impressed him. Conaway said after the luncheon, he received Whitney s card and kept in contact with him throughout the following year. When the internship opportunity became available, he is sure their established relationship helped to push him to the top of the candidate pile. Today, Conaway considers himself just another typical OSU college student. A majority of my goldfish have gone to goldfish heaven, Conaway said. I still do a few lawns back home and three here in Stillwater, but that is it. However, while his sights are set on the future, Conaway still has one more blue and gold achievement to attain. I will be receiving my American FFA degree at the end of this month during the 2013 National FFA Convention, Conaway said. Conaway, along with 179 additional Oklahoma FFA members, will receive their American FFA degrees at the National FFA Convention in Louisville, Ky.! 6!

7 National convention will take place Oct. 30 through Nov. 2, and will host roughly 55,000 FFA members, their parents and other distinguished guests. Students like Conaway from across the nation will be recognized for their FFA achievements in areas such as proficiency awards, career development events and other national contests. One final time, Conaway will zip his golden zipper to the top of his blue corduroy jacket. One final time, his stomach will feel the butterflies and the nervous sweat will trickle down his brow. One final time, he will walk across the stage, feel the blinding stage lights hit his face, and one final time will he be recognized for his FFA success. Only this time, he will be receiving the highest achievement to be bestowed on an FFA member, and it all started with his SAE.! 7!