Working hard on cultivating her craft, senior Genevieve Grismer has been in Future Farmers of America (FFA) since the start of her junior year and has already made a lasting impact. Grismer wanted to be a veterinarian since elementary school and has never looked back at other potential careers.
Joining FFA for Grismer meant becoming a part of a community that’s extremely welcoming and a place where students can be themselves and express their shared interests.
When Grismer first joined FFA, she felt as if she did not have a whole lot of guidance compared to what she got for regular A-G classes. If she had that help to find classes with her actual interests instead of basic classes she would have joined sooner than her junior year, she said.
Next year she will participate as an alumni to help the new officers and coach the veterinary science career development event team. The veterinary science team consists of senior Grismer, and sophomores Erin Lucey, Simone Orona, and Ashlynn Milgazo. They are ranked 14th of the top 24 teams in the state. They will compete at Cal Poly SLO on May 6.
“Genevieve is an amazing teammate. She is the most knowledgeable out of all of us,” sophomore Ashlynn Milgazo said.
At competitions, students bring their animals and judges rate them on health, appearance, and showmanship. Practicums are parts of a competition where they can practice their skills and be tested on them.
“When competing Genevieve was always at the top of her game, and she still places very high,” Poway High graduate Victoria Miller said.
As chapter president, Grismer facilitates meetings and works with club advisor Julia Page to make things run smoothly. She was a delegate at a state conference this month and for the southern region on April 1.
Planning for a future in FFA, she has enrolled as an animal science major at Cal Poly Pomona, and has also grown an interest in bringing back Pomona’s collegiate FFA chapter. Grismer wants to be able to give back to other farmers and the community.
This year Grismer has won top individual awards in many vet science competitions. Due to her amazing work in FFA, she’s been able to travel. She was awarded a seat in the 75th National FFA band and got the opportunity to go to Indianapolis to play at the 95th National FFA convention.
For students interested in joining FFA, Grismer recommends “regardless of how they want to involve agriculture into their lives later, we are here to encourage and support their endeavors, whether it’s through helping them prepare for public speaking competitions, giving them the supplies to test the soil in their garden,. . . or even just helping them explore their college options,” Grismer said.