If you ask Adrienne Boyette about her experience during the 80th Florida FFA Convention, she will simply smile and say, “I had the convention of a lifetime. I could not have asked for anything more. Friday, June 13, 2008 will go down in my history as a day that changed my life forever.”

Saying she had the convention of a lifetime is not an understatement either. Her reference to Friday, June 13, is simply the date she was elected and installed as the Area II State Vice President of the Florida FFA Association.

The summer after her 9th grade year, Adrienne attended her first state convention. It was then that a dream was born and a goal was set. Since then, she has worked relentlessly towards her goal of becoming a Florida FFA State Officer.

However, this prestigious title was not won over night. Boyette’s FFA career started off right when at that same convention, she won her first state title in the agriscience fair. From there she attended the National Convention also winning a 1st place National Title. Throughout the remainder of her high school career, she continued competing winning numerous state and national honors, all of which added to her resume.

Finally, during her senior year, Boyette attended State Officer Screenings held at the Florida FFA Leadership Training Center in Haines City, Florida April 8-9. After a series of rigorous interviews and testing, Boyette was thrilled to be named one of the Area II State Vice Presidential Candidates.

The 80th Florida FFA Convention was held June 9-13 at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando with over 3000 people in attendance. Upon arrival, she began preparing for the week ahead which included a 2 minute speech, a question and answer session in front of a delegate body and then of course, voting day. However, the election was not the only thing Boyette was hoping to win. Some of her convention highlights include winning the Agricultural Sales Proficiency and being a finalist in the Fruit and Vegetable Production Proficiency because of her involvement with the pecan industry.

Out of 200 applicants, she received one of the five most prestigious awards the FFA can bestow on its members. She was named the Florida FFA State Star in Agriscience. Although she was quite pleased with the turn out, the real prize was still undecided.

“Thursday was the most nerve racking day. You get up and know that your peers are about to decide what your future holds. You go to bed knowing that your fate has been decided, and then, you have to wait. You have to wait for an eternity. Your whole future changes in a matter of a few minutes,” Boyette said. “Sitting there crying, all I remember is the announcer saying, ‘Your 2008-2009 Area II State Vice President, from the Suwa…’ there was so many people cheering. I didn’t even hear my name. I had just watched my dream turn into a reality. The greatest feeling in the world is knowing that your peers put their trust and faith in you to serve them. Knowing that they chose you as their representative is an amazing feeling and I am determined to do my best and make my home chapter and area proud. I want to make a difference, and although I realize I can’t do that overnight, I am committed to giving it my all this year.”

Boyette will spend the year traveling the state promoting agriculture and agricultural education in businesses and schools. She and her teammates have already presented two leadership conferences and are currently preparing for two other conferences. The COLT (Chapter Officer Leadership Training) Conference had an outstanding turnout and was attended by over 1200 individuals. Boyette also traveled to Indianapolis, Indiana to the 81st National FFA Convention as a member of the Florida Delegation. In January, she will be going to China to attend an International Leadership Summit for State Officers.

Boyette is excited about the upcoming year and she knows that she would not have been able to accomplish her goals without the help, thoughts and prayers of many individuals. She would like to especially thank her parents Mike and Shari Boyette, her family, friends, the Mount Olive Baptist (Live Oak) and New Hope Baptist (Jennings) Church families, Ms. De Broughton, Mr. Travis Tuten, Mr. Tom and Ms. Shirley Carte, Ms. Tammy Boggus, Ms. Stacy Young, Mr. Keith Wynn, Mr. Walter Boatright, Ms. Sarah Carte, Ms. Anne Etcher, the Suwannee FFA Alumni, and everyone else who served as an inspiration.

Boyette will finish her year of service in June of 2009 when she retires at the 81st Florida FFA State Convention. Then she will begin classes at the University of Florida.

If you would like to request Adrienne for an event or appearance, please contact her at Adrienne.Boyette@flaffa.org or contact the state office on their website at www.flaffa.org.

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