COLUMBUS — On Wednesday, Sept. 25, five members of the Miami Trace FFA Chapter, a satellite program of Great Oaks Career Campuses, attended the eighth-annual Ohio FFA Legislative Leadership Conference at the Ohio Statehouse.
Members representing the Miami Trace FFA were: Aubrey Schwartz, Morgan Eggleton, Kyler Batson, Shana Lott and Taylor Moore. These members took part in a morning workshop led by the Ohio Farm Bureau focusing on advocating for agricultural education, informing students about important issues and preparing them to speak with legislators. During this activity, the more than 200 FFA members from across the state were given several agriculture-related issues to lobby and advocate for legislative support. FFA members learned firsthand the process of creating new bills, representation in the statehouse and the roles of lobbyists.
After the morning workshop, students were given time to tour the historic Ohio Statehouse and learn more about the state’s history as well as the layout of our state legislative government. During this time, the Miami Trace FFA members spent time visiting with President Pro Tempore of the Ohio Senate, Bob Peterson. Members toured Senator Peterson’s office and were able to ask him questions about is role as a senator, the history of the Ohio StateHouse and about their role in communicating with their legislators.
The Ohio FFA Legislative Leadership Conference concluded with a meal in which FFA members were given the opportunity to hear from the Ohio FFA Officer Team, Ohio Department of Agriculture Director, Dorothy Pelanda as well as leaders of both the House of Representative and the Senate. During the meal, Miami Trace FFA members were seated with two legislative aides. This enabled the members the opportunity to share personal stories and concerns with legislative staff.
The five Miami Trace FFA members that attended the conference gained valuable information about our state government while interacting with FFA members statewide. Miami Trace FFA senior member Shana Lott said, “I enjoyed this event and learned about the many steps it takes for a bill to become law.”
