Black River Technical College Automotive Collision Technology student Mike Fraley recently traveled to the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Ind., where he received an American FFA degree.
Fraley graduated from Couch R-1 School District in 2022 but has remained a member of the FFA chapter he joined during his freshmen year of high school, said officials with BRTC in Pocahontas, Ark. He received a Missouri State FFA degree in April of this year, paving the way to his American degree.
“Receiving my American FFA Degree gives me a great sense of accomplishment,” Fraley said. “It has opened many doors for me in the agriculture field and the skills I learned in FFA will help me in any career I choose.
According to FFA, an American FFA degree is the gold standard. It is the highest degree achievable in the National FFA Organization. The American FFA Degree shows an FFA member’s dedication to his or her chapter and state FFA association. It demonstrates the effort FFA members apply toward their supervised agricultural experience and the outstanding leadership abilities and community involvement they exhibited through their FFA careers. American FFA degree recipients show promise for the future and have gone above and beyond to achieve excellence.
Requirements to earn the American FFA Degree are outlined in the National FFA Constitution. To be eligible to receive the American FFA Degree, members must meet qualifications such as receiving a State FFA Degree, holding active membership for the past three years, completing secondary instruction in an agricultural education program, and operating an outstanding supervised agricultural experience program. Community service, leadership abilities, and outstanding scholastic achievement are also required.
Applications are reviewed by the National FFA Board of Directors who approve qualified candidates to receive the American FFA Degree at the National FFA Convention & Expo.
