Oklahoma CareerTech board highlights student wins at National FFA Convention, names Stillwater chapter national Model of Excellence

Scott Nemechek, program manager for the Ag Ed Division at Oklahoma CareerTech, told the board the state’s FFA programs remain strong and nationally competitive. “This year, we're up to 494 programs and 366 districts across the state,” Nemechek said, and he reported more than 28,000 students participate in those K–12 programs. He told board members that the state had about 29,213 FFA members last year and ranks among the largest states per capita.

Nemechek credited a large network of industry partners and support organizations for student opportunities, noting the FFA Foundation holds “over $10,000,000 in assets” used for scholarships, student support and convention activities. He introduced several students and chapters who earned national recognition at this year’s National FFA Convention.

Whitney Glaser, an Oklahoma State University student and member of the Lomega FFA chapter, appeared in a video and later spoke to the board about her agricultural placement experience working on a family farm, at a mixed-animal veterinary clinic and at an OSU agronomy research station. Glaser said the supervised agricultural experience (SAE) gave her hands-on skills and mentoring that helped her pursue plans for veterinary school and balance work with a full academic load.

Students and advisers from Stillwater described the chapter’s national Model of Excellence award and nine program activities they presented to judges, including community engagement projects, a leadership conference and a countywide fourth-grade Ag Day that reached nearly 500 students. Ryan Crossright and other chapter officers detailed projects such as Ag Career Bingo, a $5 challenge for freshmen that led to student-led fundraising, a ‘Making Your Words Count’ campaign and a Cans for Community donation drive.

Board members praised the students and teachers for the depth of work and community impact. The presentations also included summaries of AgriScience research projects from Stillwater students — covering consumer responses to product labeling and an equine fitness blood‑lactate study — and students described statistical methods they used to analyze results.

The board did not take formal action related to the presentations; members thanked presenters and recognized the role of local teachers and industry partners in supporting the FFA and agricultural education pipeline.