And just like that, summer has ended just as quickly as it began. As the dust from the Kansas State Fair begins to settle, I have been reflecting on the beginning of the school year and ultimately what our year of service has looked like thus far. It is crazy to think that the state convention was only three and a half months ago, especially considering how much the State Officer Team has accomplished in such a short amount of time.
This summer, we started our year of service with training with industry professionals and past state officers. As covered in Lillian’s blog, “Blastoff Into a Busy Year,” our first major event of the year was Chapter Leadership Training in Hays, El Dorado, and Topeka. After that, it wasn’t long before we packed our bags and caught a flight to the State Officer Summit in our nation’s capitol. While in Washington D.C., we received the opportunity to meet state officers from across the country and develop our advocacy skills. In addition, we built connections with the national officers and toured many of the monuments in the capitol.
The last big event of the summer was District Officer Conference in Salina, Kansas. Over the two day event, we had many workshops hosted by experts like Dr. Gaea Hock, Johana Anderes, and Dr. Dan Moser as well as leadership based sessions hosted by the state officer team. Together, the conference was a huge success and I am still thinking about the scary stories we shared around the campfire!
However, with all the craziness of the summer winding down, it wasn’t long before the state officer team moved to Manhattan for the start of school on August 25. The first week at Kansas State University was filled with orientation events and social activities to meet other students. With that being said, I know many of our high school members have also had a fast start to their year and we cannot wait to see what each chapter is able to accomplish this year! As we look ahead, there are many more exciting events to look forward to, including but not limited to Celebrate Ag Day, a day at NASCAR, and National Convention. The state officers and I hope you continue to have a great year and can’t wait to interact with many of you over the next eight and a half months!
Dustin Denton