By Julie Tomascik
Editor
Free Enterprise Speech Contest finalists visited Capitol Hill this week.
The finalists received an expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., from Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) to visit elected officials, witness Congress in session and tour historical sites.
“The trip to Washington, D.C., is a great way for the students to see free enterprise in action and bring the experience and contest full circle,” Mia Balko, TFB director of Youth and Urban Outreach, said. “The students interacted with elected officials, saw Congress in action and learned more about our government and how it works.”
The students on the trip included Haylee Young of Freestone County, Maleah Walker of Baylor County, Shae Lynn Suttle of Crosby County and Shane Flanagan of Runnels County.
The Free Enterprise Speech Contest is held annually and is open to any young TFB member who has attended the organization’s Youth Leadership Conference.
Through the competition, students are asked to share what they learned at the conference about constitutional government and the free enterprise system.
The contest is an opportunity to earn money for college, gain valuable communication skills and hone leadership skills.
“The contest allows students in high school to take an in-depth look at our economy and our country and to communicate those thoughts and their understanding in a speech,” Balko said.
Each student took a slightly different view on the meaning of free enterprise.
“The free enterprise system to me is a system that allows everyday people to follow their passions. It’s unique, because it gives equal opportunities to people of all lifestyles,” Young, who won the 2017 contest, said.
This experience has empowered Young as she heads into her senior year at Teague High School.
“I’ve become more knowledgeable about my surroundings—not only in my community and district, but also the U.S.,” she said.
For Walker, who was the runner-up, free enterprise is the freedom of the future. She noted understanding the government and economy is key to growing a successful future.
“The free enterprise system is the basis of the American dream, and it gives us all the future of our choosing,” she said. “I have the freedom to choose my future and make those decisions.”
Walker will be a high school senior this fall, and the experience helped broaden her horizons.
“Understanding our government is vital, and now I have a better understanding of how Farm Bureau is involved in legislative efforts,” Walker said. “Farm Bureau helps agriculture have a voice with our senators and representatives as they make legislative decisions.”
During the week, the students met with Sen. Ted Cruz and U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway. They also visited with Reps. Jodey Arrington and Bill Flores and staff members for Rep. Mac Thornberry and Sen. John Cornyn.
“Meeting with Rep. Jodey Arrington and building the foundation for a relationship with him as my representative was an experience I hadn’t had before,” Suttle said. “This week, we’ve been building connections and seeing what it’s really like in Washington, D.C.”
Suttle will be attending Texas Tech University in the fall, where she plans to major in animal science.
“This was a trip of a lifetime,” she said. “It was my first time in Washington, D.C., and I can use our experiences this week and through the Free Enterprise Speech Contest as I head into my college career. I will need the communication skills I’ve learned to convey my ideas and thoughts through a speech, because I have aspirations to be a professor of meat science. The liberties I learned about will help me inspire and teach future agriculturalists.”
Small businesses, production agriculture and other professions use the concept of free enterprise.
“It’s the basic cornerstone for the freedoms that we have in America. It’s opportunities, and it provides hope,” Flanagan said.
As Flanagan begins the next chapter of his future at Texas A&M University, he plans to use his knowledge of government and the free enterprise system.
“My speech was about a small businesswoman in my area who built her business from nothing and contrasted it to how she wouldn’t have had those opportunities if she hadn’t lived in America,” he said. “Whether I w