Townsend Girl in the Nation's Capital
 | Author:
Mikayla Kraft, Mt43 News Correspondent
MT43 News School Correspondent |
Townsend Girl in the Nation's Capital
Mikayla Kraft
Mt43 News Correspondent
As a small-town girl, I rarely get to travel outside the state or even across the country. However, this last week I had the opportunity to travel to our nation’s capitol, Washington D.C. for a leadership conference through FFA. Through sessions, tours, and reflections I grew my knowledge and appreciation for my community and country. It has been a highlight of my FFA career and has changed the way I view my community and my role as a citizen.
We took multitudes of tours. We visited the Jefferson, Lincoln, Iwo Jima, Vietnam War, World War 2, Korean War, FDR, and Martin Luther King Memorials. As I walked through the memorials I was in awe. These political leaders, soldiers, and civil rights leaders had a belief that change needed to happen and they held firmly to that belief as they took steps to ensure change. We then had the chance to tour a Smithsonian Museum of our choice (Holocaust Museum) and the Arlington Cemetary. I saw how broken the world was and how much death, sadness, and hurt surrounded us in our daily lives. But I also realized that freedom wasn’t free. The suffering that we endure today is nothing compared to what other people have endured. Each time there is a hard trial we are faced with we can remember that we can get through it with a little bit of effort.
Through sessions, I learned about how I can make a difference and what it means to make a difference. I spent countless hours talking with students around me from all over the country and even the Virgin Islands throughout the week developing my own thoughts and ideas of what I could do in my community. We even participated in a community service activity to bring healthy food to homeless people in the D.C. area. In one of the reflections in our small community group, I came up with an idea that I believe will change my community. I noticed the nicotine and drug addictions in the middle/high school and knew that I have experienced this firsthand. I knew that I had resources and a supportive community to make this dream come true. With the knowledge that was given to me, I created a Living to Serve Plan that made national FFA headlines. I am creating a program that will provide natural, plant-based alternatives to nicotine and other drugs to combat nicotine and drug addictions. From there, I plan to find the root of the addiction and help rebuild their lives. As my program begins I will give updates to the community!
Going to Washington D.C. was my biggest dream. To get to experience the history that built our country and see firsthand what my passion for politics and political history was built on was an experience that I never believed I would have the chance to accomplish. I even came home with a plan to change my community and possibly even my state. D.C. is a place for dreams and my experience was one word, everything.
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PhotoCredit: Photo Credits: Mikayla Kraft
Image 1 Caption: The National FFA President (Andrew Seibel - Virginia) and I after filming a video about my (and a nine others) Living to Serve Plan
Photo Credits: Mikayla Kraft
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