Senior Viviana Velazquez’s life has always been deeply rooted in agriculture, from the moments before she could walk, to walking across the stage at California’s FFA state conference.
“Three months after I was born, I was on a horse. Ever since I could walk, I remember going out with my grandpa to plant beans,” Velazquez recalled. “My family was always pretty involved back in Mexico, and living in the city, ag was always in the back of my mind.”
Velazquez is somewhat of an agricultural expert on the Bear River campus, as an active member of the National FFA Organization. This year, she is Historian for our chapter, as well as a second-year reporter for FFA in the USA, representing the Golden State.
While the organization does a great job of providing students with opportunities, Velazquez admits that she is a bit of a ‘troublemaker’ when it comes to paving a new path for herself.
“I think I’ve done a really good job of reaching for things that weren’t necessarily offered,” Velazquez said. “I’m kind of a troublemaker, because I go away from the opportunities that FFA gives us to create new ones. I think there’s room for everyone, and for everything.” One such opportunity Velazquez found through the organization was the Next Gen conference, where she spent the summer in Philadelphia learning about agricultural education.
“I’ve always known that I wanted to be a teacher, and for the longest time, it was between (teaching) special education or English as a second language,” Velazquez said. “With FFA, I really want to priotize ag, and maybe combine everything. Being a bilingual teacher, I think that’d be really cool.”
Being bilingual, Velazquez is able to combine her love of journalism and agriculture and cater to a wider audience. She is one of 250 selected student journalists representing the National FFA organization.
“Last year, I believe I was the only one who wrote an article in Spanish, which is the only other language that’s been featured,” Velazquez said. “That was a really big thing for me.”
One of the things she loves most about FFA is the longlasting bonds she’s created.
“I think my favorite part is being able to say I know people outside of California. I get to walk around and tell people I know the head of marketing for the national FFA. I think that’s really cool, and they’re all amazing people… it’s a really good community.”
She couldn’t do it all without some help.
“My mom is my number one supporter. She finds a way to balance work, my extracurriculars, my brother’s extracurriculars, and take care of everything we need as a family.”
Velazquez continued to voice her gratitude for her mother, as well as another guiding figure in her life, former Bear River ag teacher, Brianne Shannon.
“She’s probably the (teacher) that’s left the biggest impact on me. I think I grew really close to her. I was going through a really tough time and she really helped me out, she was kind of like my second mom.” Velazquez said.
She is also a peer tutor in Lauren Glomson’s floral design class.
“Viviana’s taken my advanced floral (class) before, so she knows a lot when it comes to floral arranging,” Glomson said. “She always jumps and helps out, I don’t even have to ask, and she’s great with other students. She’s just a rockstar.”
Velazquez wasn’t just handed these opportunities – she’s gone after them, and is always taking another step closer to her goals. From the moment she could walk, she’s been walking towards success, and she’s only getting started.
