Emma Brence is a 17-year-old senior at Powell High School and is the current Powell-Shoshone FFA President. She is a quadruplet with three sisters who are almost identical to her, and she is a diver for the high school swim and dive team.
Question: Do you have any plans for what you want to do after your graduation?
Answer: I plan on applying for a state office for FFA, which means I would get to be a part of the state organization as an officer and run some events that include every chapter within the state. State convention and that process usually takes place in December, and we’ll find out in April the state officers, and then if I do get a state office, go to Laramie County Community College… And pursue a communications degree, before I go to Montana State University Billings (MSUB) for a public affairs degree, and hopefully get my doctorate in public affairs and grant writing.
Question: How has FFA impacted you?
Answer: When I was a freshman, I was really, really shy, and I just wasn’t willing to get out of my comfort zone. I had this little bubble of what I thought I should do and kind of this group of friends that I stuck to. That doesn’t really work in FFA. There are a lot of opportunities where maybe your friends won’t always be there, and you have to advocate for yourself, and you have to communicate with other people… So, I think it really pushed me to be brave and just try different things. Most importantly, [I learned] to be proud of myself. I struggled a lot with confidence. If you told me when I was a freshman that I was going to be president of the FFA chapter, I would have told you: No way. That’s not happening. I’m not getting up to speak in front of people or do an interview, but it was really like these steps that I took to improve my speaking skills and improve my communication skills. Part of that is you have to be proud of yourself and you have to celebrate all the little things because no one else is going to celebrate it for you.
I struggled a lot with confidence. If you told me when I was a freshman that I was going to be president of the FFA chapter, I would have told you: No way. That’s not happening. I’m not getting up to speak in front of people or do an interview, but it was really like these steps that I took to improve my speaking skills and improve my communication skills.
Question: Why should other people join FFA?
Answer: FFA stands for Future Farmers of America, but honestly, it is way more than that. We don’t just do Ag. events and target farm kids. There is speaking and parliamentary procedure…you have to be able to public speak. You have to be able to interview. And so, it just teaches you so many good skills that anyone can use on a day-to-day basis or within their jobs, so I think that everyone should give it a chance or an organization like FFA, because where else are you going to learn it? It’s not necessarily something that is geared towards in a [school] class.
And so, it just teaches you so many good skills that anyone can use on a day-to-day basis or within their jobs, so I think that everyone should give it a chance or an organization like FFA, because where else are you going to learn it? It’s not necessarily something that is geared towards in a [school] class.
Question: Are you looking forward to anything in particular this year?
Answer: I’ve made a lot of great connections, but I’m really looking forward to making more connections within my community… I’m excited to get out there and kind of show everyone who I am and show everyone my journey… how I can help impact them, and how the community has impacted me and helped me.
I’m really hoping that this year’s freshman class and sophomore class tries new things. I really hope I can get through to them… you know, just be a friend and be someone in their community and their friend group… tell them to try their hardest because I honestly wish I had that when I was a freshman. Someone to tell me, hey, go do this, because I think I really needed that.
Question: What are you hoping to accomplish this year, personally and as a chapter?
Answer: I’m really hoping to encourage everyone within our chapter and the ag classes to get out there and do something because honestly, you get out what you put in. FFA is so fun, and you benefit so much from it. I’m really hoping that this year’s freshman class and sophomore class tries new things. I really hope I can get through to them… you know, just be a friend and be someone in their community and their friend group… tell them to try their hardest because I honestly wish I had that when I was a freshman. Someone to tell me, hey, go do this, because I think I really needed that. As a chapter, I’ve seen a lot of diversity in our chapters before [even] just within our school… so I was hoping to create some more bonding activities and some more activities and community service that are going to give the freshmen an opportunity to talk to our seniors, or the seniors to talk to our sophomores, or just be able to blend our chapter a little bit more. I just want everyone to find a home and through that our chapter can do that and my team can do that. So that’s really my biggest hope for this year.
![Running an organization can be no easy feat, and for senior Keegan Hicswa, his major goals as President of National Honor Society is to ensure a year of giving back to the community that is always so willing to help out others in need, displaying a trait that NHS adviser Tammy Schiermeister has seen grown over the last two years. “His maturity level has risen of course [from junior to senior year],” Mrs. Schermister said. “Even when you go from being a part of the presidency, when he was an officer last year, to now running it, you have to take on a lot of responsibility.” Photo Courtesy of Keegan Hicswa](https://phsprowl.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/IMG_1242.jpeg)
