FFA membership a legacy for national officer

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The FFA journey for Claire Woeppel is a legacy.

“My grandpa, my dad and my older brother were FFA members,” said the National FFA central region vice president. “And I have been a member of FFA since I was in seventh grade.”

“My younger sister is an FFA member and she is applying for a state office next year,” said the member of the Chambers FFA Chapter in Nebraska. “And hopefully we’ll get my little brother to wear the blue jacket too.”

Woeppel spoke at the 98th Illinois FFA State Convention, held in Springfield. This was the seventh state convention that Woeppel participated in as a national officer.

“I have been to a few camps and conferences, so I have done a lot of travel,” she said.

Travel for the six-member national FFA officer team started in January with a trip to Japan.

“That was really phenomenal and I gained so many new perspectives,” Woeppel said. “It is an honor to carry that experience with me and share it with FFA members.”

Her National FFA Week experience was in Utah.

“The first night I was there, I saw probably one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen in my life,” she recalled. “The rocks are reddish at Bryce Canyon, and when the sun sets, the rocks turn pink, purple and some of the most beautiful colors.”

While in Utah, the national officer met outstanding chapters and members.

“I traveled from the southern part to the northern part of Utah, where normally I just end up in one part of the state,” she said. “I cannot say enough good things about Utah. It is beautiful.”

Now the national officer team is preparing for the State Officer Summit, held in Washington, D.C.

“That is in the middle of July and every state sends at least one state officer, so the summit takes a lot of prep for us,” the central region vice president said.

Woeppel, who previously served as the Nebraska FFA state vice president, grew up on a cow-calf operation on the edge of the sandhills.

“It is where the corn meets the sand in a very rural area,” she said. “Agriculture is very deep in my roots and I can’t imagine my life any different.”

The national officer graduated from high school with six other people in her class.

“It’s a testament that it doesn’t matter where you come from — you can achieve whatever your heart desires,” she said.

Up to this point in her year traveling and representing the members of the National FFA Organization, Woeppel said her most memorable moment occurred during the Massachusetts FFA State Convention.

“I had just come from the Nebraska state convention which is very similar to Illinois where a lot of members come and we do a lot of production to make the magic happen,” she said.

The Massachusetts convention is much smaller and is held in a hotel ballroom with about 50 members in attendance.

“Without even realizing it, I had put Nebraska higher than Massachusetts because they are bigger,” she said.

During opening ceremonies, Woeppel was given the opportunity to deliver the sentinel position.

“Their theme was ‘Take Flight’ and before I said the sentinel part, they played this really powerful video and I looked out at the FFA members and thought this is a big deal for them,” she recalled.

“It was a humbling moment for me because I had to check my mindset because the convention mattered just as much to them as the biggest convention,” she said. “That was a cool moment.”

While at that convention, Woeppel met almost every student there.

“That was a whole different experience than giving a keynote on stage where I am blinded by lights and there are thousands of members,” she said. “It is definitely a moment I will remember forever.”

Woeppel’s goal this year as a national officer is to develop one-on-one deep connections with FFA members.

“I want to make members that I talk to feel like the most important person in that moment,” she said. “I do that by asking intentional questions, getting to know their story, meeting them where they are at and showing them love.”

In January, Woeppel will return to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she is majoring in agricultural education and also getting a minor in the Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program.

“The classroom is definitely where I am called to be,” she said.