Morgan Hefner, The Best Part About Being a Student at Ohio State ATI

There are so many great things about Ohio State ATI that it is not fair to pick just one. If I had to pick one aspect of being a student on the ATI campus that is my favorite, it would probably be the small community feeling.

The small community aspect of the campus allows students to have professors that care about their students. This can be a huge advantage when needing help in a class or maybe even life advice. Since classes on the ATI campus are fairly small, it makes me feel more comfortable asking questions and not being afraid to go to the professors for help when needed. Additionally, knowing almost everyone in the class is a huge benefit. When it comes to doing a group project, you get to work on them with your friends or people you already know. Being on a smaller campus has also allowed me to make a lot of friends through living on campus and in classes. Some of these friends will more than likely turn into lifelong friendships.

Living on campus in the apartments and having a sense of community outside of the classroom is another reason why I love ATI. From going to events such as Bull Bash to just hanging out with friends or playing corn hole, campus living opens a whole new spectrum of opportunities. Living on campus is one way that I met most of my friends here at ATI. Overall, the small community aspect of Ohio State ATI makes the campus feel like home.

Bryce Bennett, How FFA Influenced My Major

Growing up, I have always been deeply involved in agriculture. My family milked Jersey cattle through a large portion of my childhood, and because my family is so involved in agriculture, I spent the most influential years of my life being exposed to agriculture. Not only does my dad help on the family farm, he also serves as the ag teacher for my school – meaning that I grew up deeply involved in FFA. Some of my earliest memories are going out to the farm and going to SAE home visits.

With my early background and experience in FFA and agriculture, I was beyond excited to go into my 8^th grade year knowing that I could join our ag program. After I joined, I never looked back – competing at all levels of most competitions, from local to national levels and placing in all of them. I have had a very successful FFA career, allowing me to compete at Nationals for two different events: Poultry Evaluation CDE and Poultry Production Proficiency, where I placed in the top 4 for both. I also was extremely active in my FFA Chapter, serving as student advisor and land lab manager, as well as chapter president. After graduating high school and leaving FFA, I decided that I could not just leave it behind me, so I decided that I was going to pursue a career in it.

My life has led me down multiple paths, from growing up on a dairy farm to raising chickens and turkeys, both leading me to find FFA. Once I joined FFA, my paths went in even more directions, from going to State and National Conventions, to going to Leadership Nights and a trip to Atlanta, Georgia. Being part of FFA tied agriculture to my roots, and there is no way that I could leave such an influential and crucial part of my life behind. FFA has taken my life to new heights, and it helped me decide that I will pursue a career that will return the favor and hopefully take FFA to new heights.