Josey Schmidt, State Sentinel’s Retiring Address
Ad Astra Per Aspera – To the stars through difficulties. This motto was given to the state of Kansas in the year 1861. We have this motto because Kansas has gone through some difficult times and has kept going. This saying is one that speaks straight to my heart. It reminds me to dream big and helps me remember to carry my dreams with me when times get difficult. Just like the people in this wonderful state, when I hear this saying, I believe that I can dream big and keep going.
One of the people who best embodies this concept is my best friend, Payton.
Payton and I met my junior year through FFA, and I was honored to have her introduce me this morning. But only a month into her freshmen year of high school, Payton told me about being in her intro to Ag class and had no clue what to expect when her advisor said that they had to memorize the FFA creed for a district contest. She was terrified to do any public speaking but it was required for the class. Many of us know how daunting memorizing the creed can be, with all five paragraphs starting with those same two words: “I believe”. Payton knew that she had to memorize the whole thing but the question was how. She decided to break it down and tackle it paragraph by paragraph. Then the day of the contest arrived. The names were announced. 10th place – Payton thought “well, at least I tried…” 5th place – (Maybe I got last), 2nd (oh well – what’s for lunch?), 1st place – Payton? Now, this was a surprise, and Payton was very confused. She hadn’t thought that she could take this goal of just memorizing the creed and make it bigger. She kept working more on her presentation. She went to Ag Ed Speech contest in Manhattan, and gave the creed at district banquet… all working towards her new bigger and brighter goal of state convention.
– Shoot for the stars – dream big and “If you don’t sacrifice for your dreams your dreams become the sacrifice”
Payton realized on her journey that she can dream big. She started out thinking this was only for a grade… to dreaming about her performance at the state level. She also understood that to achieve what she wanted she would have to put in time and effort. Just like Payton, if we don’t sacrifice for our dreams, our dreams become the sacrifice. If Payton had not put in the effort all she would of had was a grade. However, she decided to dream big and put in effort and that led to her reaching closer to the stars.
We are all at different places in our lives. Some of us are beginning high school while others may have just graduated. Even though we are all on different journeys we are all right here, right now. Imagine if everyone expanded the horizons of their dreams like Payton. Instead of just working a job, you could thrive with your S.A.E – doing something you enjoy and getting valuable career experience. Or shooting for first at State CDEs, even beyond district. Payton started in the classroom and ended at state. What could you do? Once we leave this moment it is up to you to start shooting for your stars. You can dream big and put effort towards something you care about today. You don’t have to wait until tomorrow. You don’t have to wait until you’re out of high school to go and strive for what you want to do.
One dream I’ve had ever since I could remember was to have a horse. Then my 8th grade year, Dreamer came into my life. She was a Palamino Roan and had a white star on her head – she was just a philly and was the sweetest thing. This dream of mine was standing right in front of me… But things with Dreamer didn’t turn out so dream-like at first. She was a horse that called for someone with experience, which… wasn’t me. This was a story-worthy recipe in the works and the realization hit when dreamer was getting big enough to saddle. Sophomore year I took Dreamer to the trainer and she left green broke, meaning that she had gotten 30 days in the saddle and understood basic cues. Now, all she needed was experience. I started learning from my neighbor, then the time finally came when I could take my dream by the reins. We rode once, twice, three times, and I was feeling pretty good. We moved to a bigger pen and slowly worked our way up to a lope and Dreamer was feeling pretty good too. Boom, next thing I knew, I was on the ground. I brushed the stickers off and started over again. Sure enough, just like the time before, I ended up on the ground. But in riding, if you get bucked off, you gotta get back on – Sure, to teach the horse not to throw people… but also to teach ourselves to persevere. I worked with her some more and then called it a day.
Clearly, things have been difficult with Dreamer and it was easy to get discouraged. What keeps me going is knowing that if I keep working at it, I can accomplish my dream. Things are not always going to be perfect but remembering my dream helps push me through challenging times. That’s the thing about dreams – having them helps us get through difficult times. Application: Just like with Dreamer, Life will not always be perfect, you will get bucked off. What dream of yours is not going to plan right now? Maybe your grades didn’t end up where you wanted them this year. Maybe you didn’t place as high as you wanted at a contest. Or you didn’t perform how you envisioned on your sports team. But in times of discouragement instead of giving up, you can look towards your dreams and persevere. We all have something that we are striving towards. Whether it’s finding your dream career or earning a spot on this very stage next year, by shooting for the stars and returning to them when times get tough we can persevere towards our dreams.
Kansas coined our state motto because it. kept. going. By making efforts and sacrifices for big dreams and looking to those dreams in times of need,Kansas is always shooting to the stars through difficulties. Ad Astra per Aspera is a motto we can all use to dream big and persevere. Just like we look to the stars to remind us of our direction we can look towards our dreams to guide us when we are struggling. This term is stamped on Kansas but it’s also stamped on my heart – and because of it I will carry my dreams with me when things get rough. Kansas FFA keep striving towards your stars, and let Ad Astra Per Aspera guide your heart.