By By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
Two members of Dowagiac's FFA chapter won awards at the state convention March 9-11 at Michigan State University which qualifies them to advance to competition for national honors in Louisville next fall.
Alicia First, president of the Dowagiac chapter, and Amanda Mengel, also a senior at Union High School, are students of FFA adviser Clarence DeBoer. Both want to become teachers after high school.
Alicia wants to transfer to Western Michigan University from Lake Michigan College.
Amanda sees herself teaching special education.
Amanda was named the state FFA aquaculture-entrepreneurship winner for her watercress project and received a $100 check at the convention.
National finalists will each receive a plaque and a $250 check.
The national winner, selected from this group, will earn an additional $250 check and plaque.
Aquaculture involves programs that use best management practices available to produce and market aquatic plants and animals.
Programs can include catfish, shrimp and crawfish farming, mollusks, salmon reaching, tropical fish rearing and tilapia culture.
Alicia's proficiency award is in ag sales. In addition, she underwent further interviews to get her state agribusiness Star award.
Alicia has done nursery work in her family's greenhouse and also done her own rosemary cuttings and her written report "explains how we've done it over the past four years, how it's grown and what we've learned from it. We do the greenhouses, then take the stuff to Chicago on Saturdays and sell it."
FFA is a national youth organization of 464,267 student members preparing for leadership careers in the science, business and technology of agriculture with 7,194 local chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
FFA strives to make positive differences in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.
www.ffa.org