To be a leader, you need confidence. To have confidence, sometimes you need a little inspiration.
For a member of the Oconto Falls FFA chapter, inspiration was the driving force behind her selection to state office at the 85th Wisconsin FFA Convention on June 11.
Hallie Kopczynski hopes to use her inspiration and confidence to promote FFA involvement as she represents Section 8 as vice president for 2014-15.
“(Being elected) just helps in bringing everyone together from all of the surrounding chapters and bringing us together as a family,” said Kopczynski, a recent graduate of Oconto Falls High School.
Kopczynski, 18, who plans to attend the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in the fall to study large animal science, first became interested in FFA after a trip to the World Dairy Expo and a visit from a former FFA state officer.
“He came to our school, and he was just a big inspiration,” Kopczynski said. “He wore his jacket with confidence, and I wanted that confidence. When I was in middle school, I was not confident. I was the stand-in-the-corner kind of girl, but that really changed with FFA.”
During her time at Oconto Falls, Kopczynski held a number of leadership positions in FFA, including vice president, secretary and sentinel. She then decided to run for state office.
At the state convention, Kopczynski competed in a selection process that included group and individual interviews, impromptu questions and a written exam. The top two finalists advanced to the delegate round, where they faced questions about agricultural issues.
“That round is a lot more heated, because there are just two of you,” Kopczynski said.
In the delegate round, the candidates also introduced themselves to a gathering of the state assembly.
To qualify for a state officer position, applicants must have a state FFA degree, log volunteer and project hours, and keep track of their FFA activities on a resume.
Kopczynski is active in many FFA and agricultural projects, including her supervised agriculture experiences, including a vegetable garden, food service through her family-owned bar and grill, and dairy production.
Though she did not grow up on a farm, Kopczynski said she has grown to love the atmosphere after lending a hand at area farms. She works on a farm in Pulcifer, where she drives tractor, hauls feed and raises her cow, Maybell. She also raises ducks.
Kopczynski said her schedule has become hectic since her election to state office. She recently attended a four-day professional development conference in Madison, where state officers met the Wisconsin Association of Agricultural Educators Board to discuss changes the board wishes to pursue.
State FFA officer training is this week, and she will act as a delegate for national officer elections at the national convention July 8.
“We actually have a lot of responsibilities,” Kopczynski said.
Kopczynski said she will work at the Wisconsin State Fair in the Discovery Barn and help with the popular Veggie Car Races, where kids take vegetables and turn them into cars to race down a track.
“They get pretty excited about it, and then they get little awards and ribbons,” Kopczynski said.
Closer to home, Kopczynski said she is working on projects to promote local FFA involvement and create opportunities for children with Down syndrome and other disabilities to become more involved in the organization. Kopczynski said her nephew, who has a muscular disorder, motivated her to pursue this goal.
“He is really inspiring, and I learn a lot from him, so I think that our organization as a whole can learn a lot from kids like that,” Kopczynski said.
Through her FFA experience, Kopczynski said she has enjoyed meeting different people and seeing the diversity of those involved with FFA.
“FFA is for everyone,” Kopczynski said. “You don’t have to have a special talent because there are so many things to do.”
Kopczynski’s father, Mark, was a member of FFA in high school and her twin sister, Hanna, is a member of the Oconto Falls chapter.
Oconto Falls was last represented at the state level by Beth Reith, who served as state sentinel from 2012-13.
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