04/22/2026
During April 19th through April 21st, 17 River Valley FFA members attended the 98th Iowa FFA State Leadership Conference in Ames. Members experienced the convention, attended sessions, workshops, career fairs, competed in contests, went on a tour, met new people, and had fun. It was a great couple of days!
Read student key takeaways and see results in the pictures!
Nolan VanHouten: My key takeaway from what I learned is to give great respect to earn great respect.
Brady Cockburn: My key takeaway is that if you set your mind to something that seems impossible, it can be done. Just remember, anything’s achievable and sometimes winging it gets you farther than practicing
Riley Anderson: My key takeaway from state convention is that you are where you need to be in your life, even if you take a wrong turn you can always reroute, and live in the present, don't worry about what's next.
Casen Lundt: My key takeaway was if you help someone achieve a goal it can not only help them, but also you, and allow you to achieve your goal as well.
Justin Carstens: My key takeaway is that I need to work on focusing on the important things more than the useless ones.
Chloe Ray: My key takeaway was from the workshop that we did. In the workshop I learned one quality of being a leader is perseverance.
Kynlee Todd: My key takeaway was the quotes the state officers said like be a lifeline which means to me is to be the person someone wants to talk to when going through a hard time or just needs someone to listen to them.
Karlee Shever: My key takeaway is from one of the retiring addresses of the state officers where the message was that we often spend too much time trying to base our actions on other people's perceptions and that we should spend more time “tuning into our own station”.
Bailee Baldwin: My key takeaway from the convention is to be a leader. Always be respectful to others. Help out with stuff.
Westley McCully: I learned that in order to be able to spend more time on something you have to plan your schedule and evenly plan out the day because if you give time for something you can’t get time for other activities
Madisyn Regennitter: My key takeaways from this convention are to be respectful, love one another, and be forgiving.
Lauren Johnson: My key takeaway is that the amount of effort you put into something is the amount of reward you receive.
Tesla Wilson: My key takeaway is that if you have a friend in need of any kind, be a lifeline to them. You never know how much they need it in that minute.
Cash Deeds: My key takeaway is that the more effort you put into something, the better the results are.
Collin VanHouten: My key takeaway was how emotional it actually gets watching these people retire from an amazing and loving community.
Bristol Baldwin: My key takeaway from the convention is to go out of your comfort zone for new opportunities in FFA.
Dylan Urwiler: My takeaway was when this random Kevin guy was on stage and I learned about how boring life would be with no laughter.
