HUMBOLDT — Humboldt senior Mason Sterling is preparing to graduate after four years in FFA that helped shape his leadership, confidence and career path.
Sterling joined FFA as a freshman, inspired by both family and his upbringing on a small farm. His family raises a couple hundred acres of row crops and fewer than 100 head of cattle, and he has helped with the operation since he was young. With his older sister already involved in FFA, joining felt like a natural step and an opportunity to get involved in something meaningful and enjoyable.
Over the past four years, Sterling has participated in a wide variety of FFA activities and competitions. He competed in welding contests and attended the Neosho County Community College’s welding competition for the past two years. He also participated in Fort Scott Livestock Judging and attended the Greenhand Conference in Girard each year.
FOR STERLING, one event stands out above the rest — the Kansas Beef Expo in Hutchinson. “There’s tons of people, a couple hundred kids,” he said while describing the large-scale judging competition. Students are divided into groups and rotate through livestock classes, evaluating cattle and other animals such as hogs, sheep and goats.
Participants use score sheets to rank animals based on quality and justify their placements. For Sterling, the event combines competition, learning and the chance to meet other students who share his agricultural interests.
When asked which skill he is most proud of gaining through FFA, Sterling pointed to leadership. In fact, leadership became a defining part of his FFA journey. He served as Greenhand vice president as a freshman, chapter vice president as a sophomore, chapter president as a junior and chapter secretary as a senior. His favorite role was serving as president. “I liked being able to kind of be in charge,” he said.
Through those roles, he learned how to work with people of different ages and personalities and how to guide younger members as they enter the program. “It teaches you how to get along with a lot of different people,” he said. “The older you get, you can kind of be a role model to the younger ones.”
Sterling says FFA helped him grow in practical ways that extend beyond the classroom. He credits the organization with building his public speaking and time management skills through leadership conferences, competitions and balancing school responsibilities with FFA activities. “FFA just teaches you how to manage your time the best you can,” he said.
LOOKING BACK, some of his favorite memories come from his early days in the organization. He remembers attending Beef Expo his freshman year with his sister’s senior class and enjoying the excitement of the competition even though he was still learning the ropes. Another memorable experience was the Greenhand initiation, where students played games and got to know each other — including one messy game that ended with students covered in flour and laughing together.
After graduation, he plans to attend Manhattan Area Technical College to earn an associate degree and certificate to become a lineman. The career appeals to him because it offers hands-on, outdoor work and an active lifestyle. “I like being outside,” he said. “I don’t want a job where I just sit at a desk. I feel like I need to be moving.” With family and friends already in the industry, he says the path feels like the right fit.
Sterling credits Humboldt ag advisor Jerome Riebel as a major influence on his FFA experience. “He teaches you how to find the fun in things,” said Sterling. “I feel like in life people just work, work, work, and they don’t stop and just live a little. He makes FFA fun.”
For students considering FFA, his advice is simple: “Just do it. It doesn’t hurt to try. Just try something new.”
Reflecting on his four years, Sterling says FFA became much more than an extracurricular activity. “It’s like being in a family,” he said. “It’s an activity through school, but it translates to real life.”
