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Joe Harris – State President
My name is Joe Harris, I am 18 years
old, and during the 2009-2010 school year I will be a freshman at the University of Rhode Island. I have been in the FFA since my freshman year in high school, and I have had a love for the organization
since my first years taking part in it. At the beginning of my FFA career, I was shy and didn't really talk much. As I progressed I started coming out of my shell, and eventually started to run for
leadership positions. I acquired two offices at the chapter level, secretary and vice president, and also treasurer on the state level. Looking at me back in freshman year, many would be surprised to hear
that I am now the president of the Rhode Island FFA Association. An SAE is an important part of being in FFA. My SAE is in the field of Equine Management. I run a small stable near my house in Exeter, RI. It
is my motto that in order to be a good leader, you must lead by example. It is my plan to lead the state association in a responsible and organized manner, and most of all, I plan for it to be a fun and
overall exciting year. I am proud to be serving as the 2010-2011 Rhode Island State President and I look forward to working with each and every one of you as the year progresses. |
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Carissa Koski - State Vice President
My name is Carissa Koski and I
am currently 18 years old. I graduated from Narragansett High School in 2010. I belong to the Narragansett FFA chapter. I have lived in Narragansett my whole life and always have had an interest in plants
and animals. Only when I joined FFA did my interest in agriculture as a career come about. I hope to have a career in environmental or agricultural science in the future. I was one of the two youngest people
to ever complete the master gardener's program at the University of Rhode Island. I have competed in Creed, Floriculture, Demonstration, Prepared Greenhand Speaking, and Job Interview. I have raised chickens
for my entire life and have shown chickens for the past 3 years. I went to the National Convention in 2008 and 2009. This year I will be attending National Convention as a delegate. I have served as the
chapter president of Narragansett for the last year as well as the state reporter. FFA is a fantastic organization that has helped many students gain confidence and also given many a place to belong. I am
eager to serve as the 2010-2011 Rhode Island State Vice President. While I am in office, I will strive to increase member involvement in contests and other events. I would also like to help improve the
communication and camaraderie between the chapters. I look forward to welcoming all new members into our most productive year yet. |
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Taylor Koski - State Secretary
My name is Taylor Koski, I am 17
years old and going into my senior year at Narragansett High School. I plan to attend the University of Rhode Island, even though I haven't chosen my future career path, my options are open. Although I was
not raised on a farm, I have always had an interest in agriculture. In the past few years I have been an active member of the Narragansett FFA Chapter, where I have served as chapter secretary and am
currently serving as the chapter president. When I first joined the FFA I was quiet and shy but once I attended events and conferences I opened up. I have competed in CDE's such as Floriculture, Creed,
Prepared Public Speaking, Demonstration, and Job Interview. My SAE is in small animal care. I have always had an interest in animals, which has made my SAE a great experience. This year as a state officer I
am going to strive to help other members of this organization to reach their personal, and chapter goals. I am excited to serve as the 2010-2011 Rhode Island State Secretary and I cannot wait for the chance
to get to know everyone in the RI FFA Association. |
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Justin Gaffney - State Treasurer
Hi my name is Justin Gaffney, and I
am your current 2010-2011 Rhode Island FFA State Treasurer. I graduated from Scituate High School with the class of 2010. While at Scituate High School, I served as the Chapter Vice President for my Freshmen
and Sophomore year of high school, and I then served as President for my Junior and Senior year of high school. I am very excited to be part of the 2010-2011 Rhode Island State Officer Team. I have great new
and exciting ideas that I bring to the table, and that will make this year a blast for all Rhode Island FFA members. Currently I am working on my getting my degree in Business Management as a Freshmen at
CCRI and I will be transferring to RIC as a Junior and finish my Junior and Senior year at RIC. During the fall, it can get pretty hectic for me, because I manage my grandmothers orchard during apple season,
and it is part of my SAE, which is Agri-business and fruit production. When I am not at the orchard, or with FFA, I am most likely at the Chopmist Hill Fire Department, where I am a volunteer firefighter. I
am currently the Fire Lieutenant of the Chopmist Hill Fire Department, where I love spending my free time volunteering for the community of Scituate. I look forward to meeting all new FFA members, and
working with the 2010-2011 State Officer Team, in creating a great year for all FFA members. |
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Jess Hoppe – State Reporter
My name is Jessica Hoppe. I am
currently seventeen years old and going into my senior year at Exeter-West Greenwich High School where I am serving as chapter secretary and hope to continue to serve as an officer this upcoming year.
Growing up on a dairy farm and being active in 4-H for the past eleven years, joining FFA has always been the next step. My SAE is in Dairy Management, working on my family's farm, Bailey Brook Farm, in East
Greenwich. On a state level I have participated in Livestock Showmanship, Creed Speaking, and Opening and Closing Ceremonies. On the National level I had the opportunity to compete in the Dairy Evaluation
CDE where I earned a gold medal and in the Risk Management Essay Contest where I was awarded a silver medal. Outside of FFA I have been extremely active in 4-H. I have shown my dairy cows for the past eight
years, was a delegate to the National 4-H Conference last spring, and have recently been chosen to be on the Rhode Island 4-H Foundation Board of Directors. Over the past two years FFA has helped me grow as
both a leader and a person. I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Washington Leadership Conference last summer where I expanded upon my communication and leadership skills along with meeting new
people from around the country who share my love for agriculture. During my term in office, I will make it my personal priority to get to know each and every member on a personal level so that I can help
them find their potential and provide them with the same opportunities that I have provided through FFA. After High School I plan on going to school to be an Ultrasound Technician. While I am not pursuing a
career in agriculture I know I will stay active by hopefully having a small farm and continuing to be involved in both FFA and 4-H. I know that FFA is a fantastic organization and I plan on doing my absolute
best to do my part in creating strong leaders and individuals. I am extremely excited to be serving as the Rhode Island FFA State Reporter and looking forward to a great year! |
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Alex Laprise - State Sentinel
Hey! My name is Alex LaPrise and I am 15
years old. I am going into my junior year at Exeter- West Greenwich High School and have been a FFA member since my freshman year. Growing up around mine and my grandparent's dairy farm I knew agriculture was in my
future. Being involved with 4H from the age of 5 I also have made many leadership skills. Since I joined 4H I have been involved in many different contests, such as public presentations and showing dairy cattle
every summer. At the age of 12 I competed at the Big E for 4H Dairy and did very well. I have participated at the Big E representing Rhode Island every year since. In 2008 I was a member of the Rhode Island 4H judging
team and place high in every category. Joining FFA was a no brainer for me, not one day has gone by regretting my decision. My SAE & Proficiency was Dairy Placement, which qualified nationally! Using the DHIA
program I helped improve my herd of jerseys, while also working on an experiment for calf growth involving different amounts of protein. I'm currently serving my chapter as the 2010-11 Vice President. I have also
competed in many different contests throughout my FFA career including Creed, Greenhand Demonstration, Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Job Interview, and Dairy Evaluation. I also won State Star Greenhand this year! I
attended the 2009 National Convention and also competed nationally for Dairy Evaluation and received a silver metal. During this year's service I plan to take my role to make more people interested in FFA and competing
in contests. My favorite thing is when someone goes out of their way to say hello, and by doing this I plan on making new friends along the way. I am very ecstatic about becoming a state officer and plan to help each
and every member I can. I hope we have an awesome year together! |
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