Jocelyn Dvorak, State Treasurer’s Retiring Address

“Ignite Potential”

What was the most traumatic experience I had while cooking? Good question, it was using an industrial-sized gas stove. I could not for the life of me turn it off. Every time I cranked the nob to the “off” position I could still see a flickering flame at the bottom of the stove. I was ready to call the fire department when I was informed the flickering was not a gas leak, the stove was not a transformer, and I was not going to be charged with any form of arson. The flame was called a pilot light, I remember thinking “pilot light or not I am not going to be the one calling insurance tomorrow to say “yes the house burnt down but no worries it was just a faulty pilot light, do you cover that?” I was under the impression the light was broken but, in all reality, the stove was off the pilot light is supposed to stay on as the potential to light the burner.

 Potential, that is an interesting word, potential itself is not dangerous, fascinating, or powerful. The ignition of the potential is what counts. Every single one of us was created with a pilot light, something that fuels our hopes and dreams, but how do we ignite that potential, and can everyone do it?

Let us reflect on what would happen if we were not here, we were not in McCain Auditorium, and had never seen a blue jacket. If we were living among extreme poverty and foraging out of a landfill. Something like this. (Points to screen) This is Alma, one of my greatest role models. Born with nothing and grew up to have even less, she lives in a slum called the Diez de Mayo Colonia outside of Reynosa, Mexico. Alma, was born with nothing, and grew up to have even less. At the lowest point of  her life, she was leaving the prison where her husband was incarcerated trying to ignore the scream he made from inside “You will never amount to anything!” How does this sit, someone you love, that is supposed to love you, their words of hate “You will never amount to anything…”, being the last you hear from them. Alma had every right to give up, to just survive among trash, with only God as company, but Alma was created for more than the poverty, abuse, and sadness she lived in. Would you believe me if I told you that now she is considered a political advocate for her people?  She has worked with a ministry to build over 2,500 homes, feed thousands, send children to school to avoid trafficking, and give her people something she did not have the day she walked out of the prison: hope. She had nothing, but she is someone to the people she impacts. Before Alma, the people in the Colonia were eating dead frogs from pickle jars to survive. Now, the Colonia is raising college graduates, nurses, and more potential.  But if she had let her circumstances stop her, she never would have impacted, inspired, or ignited the potential around her.            

What is in Alma that gives her potential? What is potential? Potential is the driving force in our souls to find and execute our purpose. Many of us have been told we are special, that we can give this earth something no one else can, but how do you invest in the “special” thing about you that you may not even be able to identify? And if everyone is special, is anyone? The key to unlocking potential is investing in your passions. For Alma it was caring about people, but what about some more familiar names? Gandhi Skipped a meal occasionally, Malala went to school, Rosa Parks sat down, Martin Luther King had a dream, Jane Austen was a spinster, and Jesus loved people. Some of the history buffs just shifted uncomfortably at how I condensed some of the greatest people in history’s stories into mere sentence fragments. The truth is, all these people are in books, some even drafted books, but what did they all have in common, potential. We read their stories, living vicariously in the pages, thinking we will never have what it takes to fill the same lines. These stories are evidence that small actions can change the course of history by simply igniting their potential. The more time we spend following our pilot light, the more often we ignite our potential, unlock our purpose, draft our story, and change history. Only then can we leave footprints never marked before. It only takes one thing to find your pilot light, the smallest form of your purpose, and igniting your potential into the wildfire you were created to be.

Finding pilot lights in a stove is rather simple, you just find the source of the light. When we reach into our own souls, find the thing we love to do, even if it is as simple as smiling, we can invest in it, to fuel the ignition of potential. One of my favorite examples of the power of investment is not a banker, a businessperson, or even an accountant. His name was Chris Vitt. Mr. Vitt was the greatest biology teacher on the block. Although he was a man of science his passion was with the people he impacted. He was on this earth to simply be a good human. His curriculum had many life lessons embracing, love, faith, and purpose, and he was adored by all who met him. I never saw the full extent of his investment in people until I was a senior in high school. I was taking college biology online and needed a mentor. Although retired, and mid-pandemic, he sat with me and my sister six feet apart in his driveway to invest once again in my life. This doesn’t seem like much, except he was also battling glioblastoma, a tumor in his brain that only had one outcome. But, with cancer occupying more space in his mind than it was paying rent for, he still invested his knowledge in me. Time was of the essence, and he was investing his valuable seconds in my mere existence. And it taught me something, Mr. Vitt is not here today, but at the same time he is. He lives in every student he taught, person he loved, and memory he was a part of. He did one simple thing, he found his pilot’s light, his purpose, and he invested in it until it became an eternal flame. And now I’ve learned that I am worth the investment, and KS FFA so are you. So, pick your pen, and write your story, don’t stop at the history book, love people,  and invest in your pilot light to become the person you were made to be.

Many of you are thinking, “Jocelyn, I am simply not special.” Maybe you were once Alma, and heard you would never amount to anything, maybe you have told yourself that. Sometimes we become our greatest enemy when it comes to extinguishing a pilot’s light. We live with ourselves; we know all our own flaws, and we hide under our imperfections hoping one day we will be different. For many years I have done these very things, doubt myself, pick myself apart, and allow other people to do so. And as I went through life, I realized the thing I hated most about myself was… I talked too much. Many of my teachers in the audience remember writing this in my report cards. “She talks too much.” I spent hours trying to be quiet, to not have as many opinions, not be social, and I began to resent myself more. Many here today are wondering when I ever tried staying silent. That is just proof that no matter how I tried, I just could not keep my mouth shut. I began to hate what was originally my favorite part of myself, my voice. Fortunately, someone saw the potential in the voice I wanted to silence and asked me to join forensics, a theatre and speech club. Her name is Kate Miller. I went from hating every vibration that came from my voice to creating seven-minute speeches in under 3 minutes. My potential had been ignited, and I soon wanted to take my newfound love for creating art with words to help people, especially in FFA. I started advocating for agriculture, writing workshops for my SAE, and even using agriculture to speak to churches, and all of this eventually led me to this very moment. Kansas FFA I am here, speaking to you, because I talk too much. What was my greatest hindrance, I embraced under coaching as my greatest skill. What part of your life may need a little coaching, perspective, or the ignition of new potential? 

Furthering my passion for the way words are constructed I realized the power in one’s voice box. The same syllables used to hurt could be reconfigured to heal, I loved the mere thought of speaking life into people’s souls, coaxing their pilot lights into a flame. But throughout my entire search to find the perfect words for the value of the soul, I realized there are none. You see English is learned, but our thoughts, our conscious, is innate. KS, FFA there is not a word in the dictionary that describes how valuable you are to this world. Your potential is not in Mirriam-Webster, so stop letting people and self-doubt define your potential.

Since I started my time as a state officer, I have seen potential ignite in the most amazing ways. I have seen people start from nothing and build themselves like Alma fought for her people. I have seen members invest in each other with the same joy Mr. Vitt Invested in me. I have even begun to understand what Mr. Vitt felt like, when I saw the lightbulb ignite in students’ minds. Lastly, I have seen members find beauty in their own perceived “flaws.” For those of you in blue, the corduroy is more than just a uniform. Whether you grew up in agriculture, are new to it, or are just along for the ride, you were created with purpose, you are here for a reason, and blue is definitely your color. Do not sell yourself short of your purpose. Only you can follow your pilot’s light into a future of contagious sparks. Wear your jacket with pride, know your worth, and spend every day finding new ways to ignite your potential.