Madison Hutson joined FFA to conquer stage fright, and is now a state officer
MOUNTAIN HOME, ARK. – When Madison Hutson joined FFA in eighth grade, it was for a specific reason. It had nothing to do with her love of animals or growing up working on her grandparent’s farm in Viola (Ark.). It wasn’t even because she would be a third-generation FFA member.
Madison’s primary focus for becoming a member of the FFA was due to severe stage fright.
“I come from a cow/calf operation. I love agriculture and one thing that I personally saw that affected me most was the speaking part,” Madison said. “I was a very shy individual going into it and I wanted to learn how to public speak. And through extemporaneous speaking and parliamentary procedure, the two LDE (Leadership Development Event) competitions, I was able to step out of that discomfort I had as an eighth grader and truly find my voice. And that’s one thing I truly wanted to have when I grew up. And I feel that FFA truly gave me the ability to do so.”
While most people outside of the FFA would never consider public speaking as a skill its members would need or even want, for Madison it was vital.
“It was important before I joined because a lot of schools I know have a club day where you can go to different clubs and you get to sign up for them,” Madison said. “I remember going into my first day of eighth grade, my sister and my cousin had sat me down a week before and they were like there’s this club that we’re a part of. We know you’re shy and you want to get better at talking because I have stage fright really bad as well. They knew that with being on the dance team and stuff, I needed something that would get me out of my comfort zone. I would be performing half the time in front of the whole student body. They were like, this would be something good for you. So, it gave me the ability to get out of my comfort zone. That was one of the biggest things I looked forward to was finding something that got me out of my shell and was able to speak because I had so much that I wanted to talk about, not only with agriculture but just about the things I’m passionate. And I knew that the FFA was the place I was looking for to be able to give that to me.”
Madison vividly recalls the first speech she ever had to give that eighth-grade year. It was reciting the five paragraphs of the FFA Creed.
“My old ag teacher, Mr. Lewis, sat me down, gave me this piece of paper and said memorize these five paragraphs and you’re going to perform it in front of your class,” Madison recalled. “That terrified me. I was nowhere near ready to do it, but then in two weeks I had the ability to not only memorize it, which I never would’ve thought would’ve been possible, I performed it. In my ninth-grade year I performed that for the competition and I got third at state, which was really, really rewarding and cool to reflect on because it was something sentimental to me because it was the first thing I ever truly got to use my voice for.”
Being able to conquer fears and learning new skills are just a couple of the reasons Madison now gives younger kids who have an interest in being part of the FFA.
“I would say it would probably be that it really pushes you out of your comfort zone and teaches you to be a better leader,” Madison said. “That will help you in your future careers and your future endeavors. And it can honestly create new goals for you. Because if I stepped into my eighth-grade ag class, I would’ve never imagined going on to be a state officer. ver time through FFA, it shined a light on that area and it opened up more opportunities than I would’ve ever seen imaginable. So if I were to see that person that’s about to join or is interested, I’d just say it opens new horizons for you that you never would’ve thought possible.”
The 19-year old Madison is finishing up her final semester at Arkansas State University-Mountain Home. In December she is planning to transfer to Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia.
Once Madison graduate college, she has several options to choose from as far as a career path. But she does know she wants to stay in Arkansas.
“I have really thought about ag education and if not that, possibly going into ag policy or nursing,” Madison said. “I understand I could take a career in agriculture, but ever since I was little, I’ve been very interested in the medical field. I know I’ll still have some sort of connection with the cow/calf operation that’s up in Viola with my grandparents.
“I just feel it’s time for me to see new areas that I may not have seen the past 19 years of my life when I’ve been so headstrong with agriculture and maybe even get the opportunity to share my love for agriculture in a different field.”
