By Emmy Powell
Communications Specialist

Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) helped 1,487 students grow in leadership and professional development this year through its Student Success Series.

“These students are the future. Through our Student Success Series, we help them put together the pieces that make up a successful leader,” McKenna Bush, TFB Youth Outreach coordinator, said. “Each program gave students a view of leadership, personal branding and careers through the lens of agriculture and helped them develop a better understanding of agriculture and the role it plays in our lives.”

The Student Success Series is open to students in eighth grade through twelfth grade and features both in-person and virtual programs.

The Student Success Series programs saw tremendous growth this, Bush noted.

“This is a testament to the success of the programming and connections the students build,” she said. “We’re glad to see students take time to learn about Farm Bureau, agriculture and leadership and to be a small part in helping them grow personally and professionally.”

Jumpstart
The Jumpstart program was for students in eighth grade.

Over 910 students participated in the virtual experience, which covered Texas agriculture, leadership and business etiquette. Students also became more familiar with TFB.

Activate
Over 220 ninth grade students completed the Activate program.

Students learned more about TFB and were challenged to create a plan for leaving a legacy. They explored career opportunities and personal brands and also participated in a farm simulator game to learn more about farming and the agricultural supply chain.

Engage
Engage events were held in the spring in each of the 13 TFB districts.

A total of 280 high school sophomores and juniors learned about entrepreneurship by engaging with community leaders, gained insight into the free enterprise system and learned how to navigate and have an engaging presence on social media platforms.

Thrive
Over 70 students participated in Thrive, which is the in-person conference for high school seniors.

The three-day event helped students develop leadership and public speaking skills. Through this event, students collaborated with their peers and learned about personal branding, agricultural advocacy and the free enterprise system.

They learned about money management and the power of emotional intelligence. Among the hands-on activities was a media engagement training where students created content for social media and participated in a mock TV interview. Thrive was held in Waco at TFB’s Conference and Training Center.

Program details
For more information about the Student Success Series and dates for next year’s programs, visit texasfarmbureau.org/student-success-series.

Contact Bush at mbush@txfb.org or call 254-399-5037 with questions.