By Emmy Powell
Communications Specialist

Finalists of Texas Farm Bureau’s (TFB) 2024 AgVentures Challenge: Pitch It, Market It, Sell It state contest recently traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with elected officials on Capitol Hill and toured historical sites.

The students on the trip included Aiden Mesler of Wichita County, Olivia Clifton of Rusk County, Adyson Bullion of Walker County, Keira Short of Brazoria County, Ava Dora of Archer County and Ema Mathis of Montgomery County.

The students received the expense-paid trip as a part of the prize package for being finalists in the state contest.

“The trip to the nation’s capital gave them a chance to meet congressional leaders, bringing the contest full circle for the students,” McKenna Bush, TFB Youth Outreach coordinator, said. “Through this trip and conversations, they gained a greater understanding of constitutional government and the free enterprise system.”

The group visited the International Spy Museum and national monuments, as well as attended the Congressional Baseball Game at the Washington Nationals Park.

During the trip, the finalists met with U.S. Reps. Pete Sessions, Monica De La Cruz Ronny  Jackson, Randy Weber, and U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson.

The students also met with U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz.

They visited with U.S. Rep. Nathaniel Moran led an evening tour of the U.S. Capitol.

They also visited with congressional interns from Texas A&M University and Texas Tech University.

Throughout the trip, the students had the opportunity for networking and learning about American history.

“This trip serves as a reward for their hard work, helps broaden their network and encourages experiential learning,” Bush said. “This group was full of bright young adults who were eager to learn about the nation and government while making memories.”

Each student brought home a different lesson from the trip.

“In the long run, the young people of today will be the ones who are going to be handed the baton to run our country,” Short, the contest runner-up, said. “It’s really important for us to meet with the lawmakers in charge right now. That way we can start to learn and understand ahead of time what it’s like, what you need to do to be able to efficiently run a country.”

The visits with the members of Congress helped the students better understand what lawmakers do.

“From a distance, we can see these Congress members as busy people who don’t want to talk to us or and think they don’t care what I think, but they are incredibly personable,” Mesler said. “They want to talk to you. They want to know what you’re into, why you’re there. It was cool getting to put a face to a name and having full conversations with those individuals.”

The students were reminded that their voices are important.

“I don’t think people my age realize how much their voice matters,” Mesler said. “When talking to the elected congressmen, they put importance on the people’s vote. They take what our region or our district is feeling into account.”

The students went on a private, guided tour of Old Town Alexandria, Arlington National Cemetery and Mount Vernon.

“We went to all the memorials, which was an amazing thing,” Short said. “Arlington Cemetery really struck me. Getting to see all the people who sacrificed their lives for our country really humbled me.”

Contest details
The contest was open to high school seniors who completed TFB’s Thrive experience last August.

Thrive is part of TFB’s Student Success Series, which includes programs for students in eighth through twelfth grade. The Student Success Series aims to help students develop a better understanding of advocacy, learn more about Farm Bureau and grow personal and professional skills they can use in the classroom and future careers.

Ten finalists participated in the state AgVentures Challenge where they created an agricultural product, developed a marketing pitch and presented their ideas to a panel of judges.

The state contest took place at TFB’s Conference and Training Center in Waco Jan. 17.

For more information about the Student Success Series, visit texasfarmbureau.org/student-success-series.