Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Krystal Wilke paints her blue and gold hand next to her green handprint during this year's Greenhand ceremony at Kimball High School. The blue handprint signifies that she earned her state degree and the gold that she earned her national FFA degree.
Her passion for FFA was a large part of her four years of high school, and that passion continues on for Krystal Wilke.
Wilke, the daughter of Byron and Amber Wilke, graduated from Kimball High School in 2010. She met her finance, Brian Caudill, who works and lives in Casper, Wyo., while student teaching in Buffalo, Wyo.
"We often joke that he had me at 'I was in FFA'. He was very active in his hometown's chapter in California, where he also received his State FFA Degree," she shared.
While in high school, Wilke held the offices as the Parlimentarian, Secretary, and finally holding the office of Chapter President her senior year.
She is currently in her last semester of college, and hopes to begin a career as an Agricultural Instructor and FFA Advisor.
"My views have definitely changed since I was in high school, and shifted more towards the benefits that the FFA program offers. For me, the biggest reward is the education that you receive. Not only do you learn concepts related to all areas of agriculture, but the FFA allows you to explore with hands-on training and activities to further enhance the material you have learned in the classroom," she said. "FFA is one of the greatest experiences high school students can go through. The program is not just training students to become farmers and ranchers; it is training engineers, politicians, educators, scientists, businessmen, agronomists, and so many more leaders of society."
Wilke stated that she could possibly write a book on how being an FFA member during high school impacted her adult life in a positive manner.
"I think the biggest thing that I gained was learning to be humble, no matter if you win or lose. I was always very competitive, but sometimes I fell short of the expectations that I set for myself. I think by not always being the best, it made me realize as an adult that you learn more from a loss than you do a win, and that the struggles that you encounter are a large part of living life," she said "The FFA impacted my life my giving me a purpose, and a passion, for teaching agriculture. It was in Kimball's welding shop that I fell in love with teaching younger students how to weld, and that is what formed the foundation for what I hope to do for the rest of my life."