FFA Sentinel

Alabama Introduces Its 2021 National FFA Officer Candidate

Ka’Shiya along with her 2019-2020 Alabama State Officer Team.

ith the 94th National FFA Convention and WExpo quickly approaching in October, Alabama FFA has chosen their National FFA Officer Candidate who will undergo a rigorous, multiple-step interview process in her journey to be named one of six National FFA Officers for 2021-2022. Ka’Shiya McKinney is a past state and district FFA officer for the Alabama FFA Association. Ka’Shiya found her passion for this organization through becoming a member of the Reeltown FFA Chapter. After being the chapter’s creed speaker and competing at the county level in the eighth grade, she decided that she wanted to dive deeper into the FFA world. She served on different committees, participated in chapter functions, and eventually became a chapter officer. Not coming

While visiting chapters across the state, Ka’Shiya has made many new friendships and been able to have new experiences like playing with this floppy eared friend raised by the McKenzie FFA.

from a traditional agricultural background, Ka’Shiya was able to truly see the agricultural world for the first time in her life. Just like her passion for the FFA, her passion for agriculture grew exponentially as well. Alongside this new development came a new desire to help those who have a similar background to see agriculture in a whole new light. Ka’Shiya started a blog named “ReelAg Stories,” as a part of her Supervised Agricultural Experience project, to do just that. She answered commonly-asked questions about the industry and FFA and even met with different agriculturists to discuss and write stories about these topics.

Ka’Shiya was elected to serve as a state officer in June 2019. She spent the first half of her term of service traveling throughout the state meeting members and visiting chapters. However, the second half of the year would be far more challenging than anyone could have imagined when the COVID-19 Pandemic occurred. Along with the personal trials COVID-19 brought, there was also the challenge of navigating how to continue meeting the needs of Alabama FFA members. Although adjustments had to be made, Ka’Shiya’s job as a state officer did not change just because of the pandemic and neither did her “why.” Her why, which is “to serve, and not to be served,” shone even brighter during 2020. Although she was not able to physically travel the state, she was able to still connect virtually with members and leave a lasting impact. Her job was to help members to realize their personal potential as well as the potential they have in the National FFA Organization and the agricultural industry. She recognized that members needed to be reminded of this especially because of the unprecedented times that they were experiencing. One of the highlights of her “Pandemic Term” was the “My Why Seminar.” This seminar virtually connected FFA members from four states to discuss their purpose in life and develop innovative ways to serve others during this unusual time.

Ka’Shiya is currently majoring in Agricultural Communications at Auburn University. She is actively involved in campus life serving as a member on the Agriculture Cabinet and an Ambassador for the College of Agriculture. Through her education and involvement in the agriculture industry, Ka’Shiya will pursue a career dedicated to bridging the gap between agriculture producers and consumers.

As Ka’Shiya prepares for interviews this October her “why” has become even more clear. She will use her platform to serve members from Alabama and across the nation.

Ka’Shiya, along with a few of her fellow state officers (Megan Woodall and Alyssa Glover) shared with listeners of a local radio show all about FFA Week.