1 00:00:02,786 --> 00:00:04,873 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Growing Our Future podcast. 2 00:00:04,873 --> 00:00:08,811 In this show, the Texas FFA Foundation will take on a 3 00:00:08,891 --> 00:00:12,663 journey of exploration into agricultural science, education, 4 00:00:12,663 --> 00:00:15,990 leadership development and insights from subject matter 5 00:00:16,071 --> 00:00:19,669 experts and sponsors who provide the fuel to make dreams come 6 00:00:19,708 --> 00:00:19,969 true. 7 00:00:19,969 --> 00:00:22,344 Here's your host, Aaron Alejandro. 8 00:00:30,190 --> 00:00:33,134 Speaker 2: Well, good morning, good afternoon or good evening 9 00:00:33,253 --> 00:00:36,796 or whenever you may be tuning into the Growing Our Future 10 00:00:36,817 --> 00:00:37,476 podcast. 11 00:00:37,476 --> 00:00:40,747 We appreciate the fact that you're dropping by and sharing a 12 00:00:40,747 --> 00:00:43,725 little bit of your time with us , and we appreciate the 13 00:00:43,804 --> 00:00:45,850 opportunity to share some of our time with you. 14 00:00:45,850 --> 00:00:49,566 And the reason that's important is because this podcast is all 15 00:00:49,606 --> 00:00:53,707 about bringing on guests, incredible guests that share 16 00:00:53,767 --> 00:00:56,807 their personal experiences, their insights, their expertise, 17 00:00:56,807 --> 00:01:01,729 in hopes that maybe in their time with us, we can find those 18 00:01:01,750 --> 00:01:04,599 little seeds of greatness that we can plant in our life and 19 00:01:04,530 --> 00:01:05,305 make our way just a little bit better. 20 00:01:05,305 --> 00:01:06,411 Greatness that we can plant in our life and make our way just a 21 00:01:06,411 --> 00:01:07,072 little bit better. 22 00:01:07,072 --> 00:01:09,894 Like we always say, if you want to know what the future is, 23 00:01:09,995 --> 00:01:10,439 grow it. 24 00:01:10,439 --> 00:01:13,647 Well, to grow it, you got to plant the right seeds, and I 25 00:01:13,707 --> 00:01:17,206 think we've brought on a great guest today to help us plant 26 00:01:17,266 --> 00:01:18,450 some seeds of greatness. 27 00:01:18,450 --> 00:01:21,682 Ladies and gentlemen, it's an honor to introduce you to Zoe 28 00:01:21,802 --> 00:01:23,987 Nolan Zoe, thank you for joining us. 29 00:01:24,909 --> 00:01:26,700 Speaker 3: Thank you for having me, Mr Alejandro. 30 00:01:27,983 --> 00:01:30,108 Speaker 2: We're going to learn more about Zoe here in a minute. 31 00:01:30,108 --> 00:01:34,042 She's a 2022-23 Texas FFA officer. 32 00:01:34,042 --> 00:01:37,189 She's from a little town in West Texas called Seminole. 33 00:01:37,189 --> 00:01:39,322 You're going to learn more about Zoe here in a second. 34 00:01:39,322 --> 00:01:43,730 But, Zoe, we start every podcast off with the same 35 00:01:43,790 --> 00:01:44,171 question. 36 00:01:44,171 --> 00:01:48,486 I love to ask my guests this question what are you grateful 37 00:01:48,566 --> 00:01:49,188 for today? 38 00:01:50,340 --> 00:01:51,686 Speaker 3: Oh, what am I grateful for today? 39 00:01:51,686 --> 00:01:53,740 Well, there's a lot, I think. 40 00:01:53,740 --> 00:01:55,665 One of the big things that I'm really grateful for, 41 00:01:55,725 --> 00:01:57,689 particularly today, is the weather. 42 00:01:57,689 --> 00:01:58,813 It's warm. 43 00:01:58,813 --> 00:02:00,105 I love the summer months. 44 00:02:00,105 --> 00:02:03,207 It gives me an opportunity to get outside and spend some time 45 00:02:03,248 --> 00:02:04,010 with some fresh air. 46 00:02:04,010 --> 00:02:06,989 And then, of course, I'm grateful for my family and my 47 00:02:07,069 --> 00:02:10,308 friends, and I'm grateful for you and for asking me to be here 48 00:02:10,308 --> 00:02:10,590 today. 49 00:02:11,061 --> 00:02:11,865 Speaker 2: Oh, you're too nice. 50 00:02:11,865 --> 00:02:13,764 Well, I agree with you. 51 00:02:13,764 --> 00:02:15,526 I love the outdoors, by the way . 52 00:02:15,526 --> 00:02:18,408 I absolutely love the outdoors, so I love good weather. 53 00:02:18,408 --> 00:02:23,307 I also appreciate, like you said, family and friends and 54 00:02:23,367 --> 00:02:24,270 good connections. 55 00:02:24,270 --> 00:02:28,025 I mean, it's amazing, I think, sometimes, if we'll just pause 56 00:02:28,064 --> 00:02:32,538 and reflect on what we have to be grateful for, we tend to be a 57 00:02:32,538 --> 00:02:36,733 little happier, a little more energetic and realize that 58 00:02:36,753 --> 00:02:39,061 there's a lot of good out there, in spite of maybe all the 59 00:02:39,121 --> 00:02:41,384 negative that surrounds us sometimes. 60 00:02:41,384 --> 00:02:45,012 So that's why we always like to start the podcast with 61 00:02:45,633 --> 00:02:46,335 gratitude. 62 00:02:47,120 --> 00:02:48,865 Speaker 3: I think it's a great way to start the podcast. 63 00:02:48,865 --> 00:02:52,342 It's a great way to start your day, even that's exactly right. 64 00:02:52,362 --> 00:02:53,183 Speaker 2: I'm glad you said that. 65 00:02:53,183 --> 00:02:54,467 Zoe. 66 00:02:54,467 --> 00:02:57,073 So I had an opportunity to get to know you. 67 00:02:57,073 --> 00:02:59,406 I kind of watched you kind of through your FFA career. 68 00:02:59,406 --> 00:03:02,682 But for the people that may not know your background, would you 69 00:03:02,682 --> 00:03:05,731 just kind of take us through how you ended up? 70 00:03:05,731 --> 00:03:06,282 What are you about? 71 00:03:06,282 --> 00:03:07,907 A junior or senior now at A&M? 72 00:03:09,039 --> 00:03:11,001 Speaker 3: I'll be a junior at Texas A&M Okay. 73 00:03:11,342 --> 00:03:13,430 Speaker 2: So I know you didn't just fall into that chair. 74 00:03:13,430 --> 00:03:16,504 So why don't you take us through a little bit of your 75 00:03:16,564 --> 00:03:20,673 journey that led you to where you are right now at Texas A&M 76 00:03:20,752 --> 00:03:23,526 University and tell us a little bit about what you're majoring 77 00:03:23,567 --> 00:03:24,008 in and why? 78 00:03:30,740 --> 00:03:31,121 Speaker 3: Yeah, of course. 79 00:03:31,121 --> 00:03:32,584 So I was raised by my parents they're wonderful people out in 80 00:03:32,604 --> 00:03:34,048 West Texas in a little town called Seminole, about an hour 81 00:03:34,068 --> 00:03:38,304 and a half from Lubbock, texas and I was raised heavily in the 82 00:03:38,403 --> 00:03:39,406 agriculture industry. 83 00:03:39,406 --> 00:03:44,201 So we raised a lot of row crops peanuts, cottons and the sorts 84 00:03:44,823 --> 00:03:47,169 and then we also had a little bit of cattle that we raised 85 00:03:47,710 --> 00:03:49,152 more of a cow-calf operation. 86 00:03:49,152 --> 00:03:52,610 I was just really immersed in the agricultural world. 87 00:03:52,610 --> 00:03:55,746 I grew up in it, riding in the tractor with my dad and my 88 00:03:55,786 --> 00:03:58,652 granddad that super traditional background. 89 00:03:58,652 --> 00:04:01,586 It was something that I actually ended up, when I got a 90 00:04:01,627 --> 00:04:03,331 little older, kind of rejecting. 91 00:04:04,442 --> 00:04:07,764 I fell in love with sports and sports were my thing. 92 00:04:07,764 --> 00:04:10,512 When I was younger, especially throughout, like middle school 93 00:04:10,632 --> 00:04:13,069 and the early years of high school, it was really like what 94 00:04:13,150 --> 00:04:13,953 I cared about. 95 00:04:13,953 --> 00:04:17,245 I played volleyball and volleyball was where most of my 96 00:04:17,286 --> 00:04:18,048 focus was. 97 00:04:18,048 --> 00:04:22,403 I also played basketball, I ran cross country, I ran track, I 98 00:04:22,423 --> 00:04:32,620 did all the things and that's what I really cared about and I 99 00:04:32,639 --> 00:04:35,225 thought that's what I was going to end up going to college for 100 00:04:35,286 --> 00:04:35,848 was volleyball. 101 00:04:35,848 --> 00:04:38,252 Then I ended up tearing not one but two ACLs my sophomore and 102 00:04:38,273 --> 00:04:42,341 junior year of high school and I was already involved in FFA 103 00:04:42,422 --> 00:04:44,545 because it was kind of the natural thing to do. 104 00:04:44,545 --> 00:04:50,422 I already showed hogs and I was very involved in my chapter and 105 00:04:50,422 --> 00:04:54,194 then the way that my ACL surgeries kind of lined up it 106 00:04:54,214 --> 00:04:57,206 gave me even more encouragement to be involved in the FFA. 107 00:04:57,206 --> 00:05:00,247 And so when I tore my first ACL , I ended up running for 108 00:05:00,307 --> 00:05:01,110 district office. 109 00:05:01,641 --> 00:05:05,759 I tore my second ACL, I ended up running for area office and 110 00:05:05,779 --> 00:05:08,165 then ultimately I truly fell in love with the agriculture 111 00:05:08,206 --> 00:05:11,581 industry and really realized what I was missing out on that. 112 00:05:11,581 --> 00:05:14,247 What my family was doing was truly a noble thing. 113 00:05:14,247 --> 00:05:18,146 Not a lot of people can say their dad contributes to feeding 114 00:05:18,146 --> 00:05:21,319 the world, but I could and that was pretty cool and really I 115 00:05:21,358 --> 00:05:23,951 started to recognize the importance of the agriculture 116 00:05:23,990 --> 00:05:29,369 industry and the like, relevance and just pure meaning behind 117 00:05:29,389 --> 00:05:31,935 the FFA that other organizations may not have. 118 00:05:31,935 --> 00:05:35,023 Ffa is a fantastic leadership organization. 119 00:05:35,023 --> 00:05:36,346 I think it's the best one out there. 120 00:05:36,346 --> 00:05:39,603 There's other organizations that teach leadership Like I 121 00:05:39,642 --> 00:05:42,870 learned leadership when I played sports as well, but the meaning 122 00:05:42,870 --> 00:05:46,800 behind the FFA is just so much deeper than the meaning behind 123 00:05:46,821 --> 00:05:50,170 the other things I was doing, and whenever I became super 124 00:05:50,209 --> 00:05:53,283 passionate about that I was always going to be an Aggie, 125 00:05:53,464 --> 00:05:54,146 I'll just say it. 126 00:05:54,346 --> 00:05:58,521 I came home from the hospital in an A&M onesie because my dad 127 00:05:58,562 --> 00:06:02,490 was an Aggie and I was brainwashed from an early age 128 00:06:02,550 --> 00:06:04,862 and so I had my heart set on Texas A&M. 129 00:06:04,862 --> 00:06:08,310 I didn't apply anywhere else but I decided to major in 130 00:06:08,391 --> 00:06:11,944 agriculture and so right now I'm a double major in agricultural 131 00:06:11,985 --> 00:06:15,892 communications and journalism and agricultural economics at 132 00:06:15,913 --> 00:06:16,413 Texas A&M. 133 00:06:16,413 --> 00:06:19,199 I absolutely love my majors. 134 00:06:19,199 --> 00:06:24,230 If you ask me what I want to do in the future, that's where it 135 00:06:24,271 --> 00:06:25,132 gets a little trickier. 136 00:06:25,199 --> 00:06:29,670 I'm not 100% certain, but I have gained a little bit of guidance 137 00:06:29,670 --> 00:06:32,244 and clarity over the past year and I want to do something in 138 00:06:32,324 --> 00:06:33,348 international ag. 139 00:06:33,348 --> 00:06:38,630 There's a program I really want to start whenever I graduate 140 00:06:38,690 --> 00:06:40,603 and it's called the International Agricultural 141 00:06:40,644 --> 00:06:45,769 Education Fellowship Program and you spend around a year in 142 00:06:45,829 --> 00:06:50,127 either Ghana or Guatemala starting the equivalent of a 4-H 143 00:06:50,127 --> 00:06:53,053 club in those third world countries and teaching them 144 00:06:53,180 --> 00:06:57,375 sustainable agriculture to the youth there, and that's kind of 145 00:06:57,394 --> 00:06:59,661 where my head's at for after graduation. 146 00:06:59,661 --> 00:07:02,545 But right now I'm heavily involved at Texas A&M. 147 00:07:02,545 --> 00:07:06,132 I'm the vice president of public relations for the student 148 00:07:06,132 --> 00:07:07,694 council for the College of Ag. 149 00:07:07,694 --> 00:07:11,468 I also work for AgriLife on their communications and 150 00:07:11,507 --> 00:07:15,105 marketing team as a student worker and I love how it ties me 151 00:07:15,105 --> 00:07:18,682 directly in with the college and I get to work closely with 152 00:07:18,742 --> 00:07:22,290 staff and with our dean and just continue to build those 153 00:07:22,310 --> 00:07:24,553 connections and really make the most of my time at Texas A&M. 154 00:07:27,019 --> 00:07:29,165 Speaker 2: Wow, Junior. 155 00:07:29,165 --> 00:07:30,387 So how old are you now, Zoe? 156 00:07:30,387 --> 00:07:32,132 I know I'm not supposed to ask that, but I'm going to ask. 157 00:07:32,940 --> 00:07:33,865 Speaker 3: I just turned 20. 158 00:07:36,319 --> 00:07:40,487 Speaker 2: What a resume Already at 20 years old. 159 00:07:40,487 --> 00:07:44,014 Zoe, you need to be proud of that, and I'm proud of you. 160 00:07:44,014 --> 00:07:46,982 You've given us a lot, by the way, I hope. 161 00:07:46,982 --> 00:07:49,713 One of the things that I like about doing these podcast 162 00:07:49,754 --> 00:07:53,564 interviews is what I hope people hear is when people are sharing 163 00:07:53,564 --> 00:07:56,673 their testimony, there's somebody out there that's going 164 00:07:56,692 --> 00:07:58,083 to be able to relate to that. 165 00:07:58,644 --> 00:08:01,490 I guarantee you there's somebody out there who's also into 166 00:08:01,550 --> 00:08:05,870 sports and they might run into a hurdle that makes you, you know 167 00:08:05,870 --> 00:08:08,725 , kind of deters them into another direction. 168 00:08:08,725 --> 00:08:11,761 And so the fact that you've taught us that you can look for 169 00:08:11,860 --> 00:08:16,110 other options to it's okay to to maybe move away, but come back 170 00:08:16,170 --> 00:08:21,088 to something, and then and then, as you begin to engage more, I 171 00:08:21,129 --> 00:08:22,492 think you're able to see more. 172 00:08:22,492 --> 00:08:27,100 Zig Ziglar always said go as far as you can see, and when you 173 00:08:27,100 --> 00:08:29,567 get there, you'll always be able to see further. 174 00:08:29,567 --> 00:08:33,322 And when I look at your journey and just the comments that 175 00:08:33,342 --> 00:08:35,909 you've shared just in the first five, 10 minutes of this 176 00:08:35,971 --> 00:08:38,306 interview, that's exactly what you've done. 177 00:08:38,306 --> 00:08:41,437 You've gone to a point, but when you got there, you're now 178 00:08:41,499 --> 00:08:43,945 looking further, saying, well, what about this or what about 179 00:08:44,004 --> 00:08:44,205 that? 180 00:08:44,205 --> 00:08:46,250 So I just want to compliment you on that. 181 00:08:47,091 --> 00:08:47,812 Speaker 3: Well, thank you. 182 00:08:47,812 --> 00:08:52,086 I'm honestly glad that I was as involved in sports as I was, 183 00:08:52,147 --> 00:08:55,731 because it made me truly appreciate what my family had in 184 00:08:55,731 --> 00:08:58,081 the agriculture industry I was raised in, and I think it gave 185 00:08:58,121 --> 00:09:00,980 me a deeper, more profound appreciation for that, and 186 00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:02,326 that's where I'm at right now. 187 00:09:03,100 --> 00:09:06,321 Speaker 2: Oh, that's great, that's great for that, and 188 00:09:06,360 --> 00:09:07,102 that's where I'm at right now. 189 00:09:07,102 --> 00:09:08,086 Oh, that's great, that's great. 190 00:09:08,086 --> 00:09:09,509 I also like the fact that you're looking beyond just the 191 00:09:09,529 --> 00:09:11,697 borders, our domestic borders, and you're looking at the 192 00:09:12,221 --> 00:09:14,267 international scope. 193 00:09:14,267 --> 00:09:18,058 One of the programs that I was involved with for a while, when 194 00:09:18,099 --> 00:09:21,883 it was really going full steam, was the Latinos in Agriculture 195 00:09:23,283 --> 00:09:27,648 Leadership Conference, and I remember one time I was there 196 00:09:27,807 --> 00:09:29,828 and there was a young man there Interestingly enough, he was 197 00:09:29,850 --> 00:09:35,114 from A&M and he was from Pakistan, interestingly enough, 198 00:09:35,794 --> 00:09:38,777 and so I asked him out of curiosity because that's the way 199 00:09:38,777 --> 00:09:40,783 I am, I'm just curious and I said, ok, you're an 200 00:09:40,803 --> 00:09:41,967 international student, but you're at the Latinos in 201 00:09:41,988 --> 00:09:42,711 Agriculture Leadership Conference. 202 00:09:42,730 --> 00:09:43,774 I said, okay, you're an international student, but 203 00:09:43,793 --> 00:09:45,299 you're at the Latinos in Agriculture Leadership 204 00:09:45,440 --> 00:09:48,873 Conference, and he said I'm always looking for opportunities 205 00:09:48,873 --> 00:09:51,942 to find out more about what's going on around the world. 206 00:09:51,942 --> 00:09:56,851 So as we began to talk, he told me that what his major was at 207 00:09:56,932 --> 00:10:01,105 A&M and that his hope was to go back home and help some of the 208 00:10:01,144 --> 00:10:06,413 countries that were struggling with food sources meeting their 209 00:10:06,453 --> 00:10:10,544 food needs, and so I thought, man, there's no doubt this kid's 210 00:10:10,544 --> 00:10:14,172 going to go far, because he's got something in his mind that 211 00:10:14,232 --> 00:10:15,094 becomes a target. 212 00:10:15,094 --> 00:10:17,605 And what do they say about goals? 213 00:10:17,605 --> 00:10:22,365 Goals are targets that beckon, and so when you start seeing 214 00:10:22,384 --> 00:10:26,520 those little goals, you start moving toward those, and so I 215 00:10:26,561 --> 00:10:31,347 just wanted to compliment you that it's not that you may ever 216 00:10:31,528 --> 00:10:35,833 end up there, but you may end up there with a chance to gain 217 00:10:35,894 --> 00:10:40,121 knowledge that you bring home and maybe you instill that in 218 00:10:40,162 --> 00:10:43,466 somebody else, or maybe that you bring that back to y'all's 219 00:10:44,267 --> 00:10:45,609 agricultural operations. 220 00:10:45,609 --> 00:10:49,197 Yeah, I just think it's a great thing that you're doing. 221 00:10:50,078 --> 00:10:51,121 Speaker 3: Thank you, I love it. 222 00:10:51,121 --> 00:10:54,136 I love just widening my worldview and learning more and 223 00:10:54,717 --> 00:10:55,799 seeing things in life. 224 00:10:55,799 --> 00:10:57,023 That is kind of different. 225 00:10:57,023 --> 00:10:59,130 I think perspective is everything, and the more you 226 00:10:59,171 --> 00:11:02,700 widen your perspective, the more knowledgeable you can be when 227 00:11:02,720 --> 00:11:06,897 you make decisions, and so so let's stay with that for a 228 00:11:06,956 --> 00:11:07,278 second. 229 00:11:07,470 --> 00:11:12,581 Speaker 2: And just for just a point of reference, folks, one 230 00:11:12,620 --> 00:11:16,817 of the reasons that I wanted Zoe to come on to this podcast is 231 00:11:16,897 --> 00:11:21,111 because I have, in the last two years, kind of lived vicariously 232 00:11:21,111 --> 00:11:26,201 through her travels abroad and I'm talking in a very short 233 00:11:26,261 --> 00:11:27,003 period of time. 234 00:11:27,003 --> 00:11:30,636 This young lady has been all over the world. 235 00:11:30,636 --> 00:11:33,850 Zoe, would you just take us through some of the places you 236 00:11:34,192 --> 00:11:37,681 and I'm telling everybody this is in the last two years Take us 237 00:11:37,681 --> 00:11:40,774 through some of the places that you've been and some of your 238 00:11:40,815 --> 00:11:42,499 takeaways from those experiences . 239 00:11:43,321 --> 00:11:44,143 Speaker 3: Yes, for sure. 240 00:11:44,143 --> 00:11:46,275 So you said it was the last two years, but I'll be really 241 00:11:46,355 --> 00:11:49,091 honest, it's been the last probably six months that it's 242 00:11:49,131 --> 00:11:49,874 really picked up. 243 00:11:49,874 --> 00:11:53,971 So when I was younger, I dreamed of traveling, like that 244 00:11:54,010 --> 00:11:56,298 was the one thing I've always wanted to do. 245 00:11:56,298 --> 00:11:58,517 But I was always busy. 246 00:11:58,517 --> 00:12:00,717 I was showing hogs, I was playing sports. 247 00:12:00,717 --> 00:12:03,477 So travel wasn't something my family really prioritized, 248 00:12:03,538 --> 00:12:05,754 because any of the traveling we were doing it was for those 249 00:12:05,813 --> 00:12:07,119 extracurricular activities. 250 00:12:07,119 --> 00:12:10,139 But I always told myself one day I would travel the world. 251 00:12:12,029 --> 00:12:13,533 Well, my freshman year of college I was a state officer, 252 00:12:13,654 --> 00:12:15,780 so I was a little bit dizzy. 253 00:12:15,780 --> 00:12:20,373 I had things on my plate all the time and I absolutely loved 254 00:12:20,413 --> 00:12:24,341 my year of service, but traveling wasn't as feasible 255 00:12:24,381 --> 00:12:25,202 during that time. 256 00:12:25,202 --> 00:12:27,956 But whenever I started my sophomore year of college, I 257 00:12:27,996 --> 00:12:29,541 realized that this was my opportunity. 258 00:12:29,541 --> 00:12:36,932 I'm young, I'm not married, I don't have kids. 259 00:12:36,932 --> 00:12:38,517 This is one of the easiest and most affordable times that I can 260 00:12:38,517 --> 00:12:40,123 travel and pursue my dream, and the only thing holding me back 261 00:12:40,203 --> 00:12:42,410 at that point was myself, and so I made it my goal that I was 262 00:12:42,451 --> 00:12:44,857 going to start traveling now and I wasn't going to make excuses 263 00:12:44,937 --> 00:12:45,259 for it. 264 00:12:45,259 --> 00:12:48,894 So the first trip I went on, I had never been overseas before. 265 00:12:48,894 --> 00:12:52,691 But the first trip I went on was actually one of my teammates 266 00:12:52,691 --> 00:12:52,691 . 267 00:12:52,691 --> 00:12:53,673 He studied abroad. 268 00:12:53,673 --> 00:12:54,996 His name's Logan. 269 00:12:54,996 --> 00:12:57,751 He was one of my state officer teammates for clarification 270 00:12:57,792 --> 00:13:01,985 there and he was studying abroad in Milan, italy, for an entire 271 00:13:02,046 --> 00:13:02,606 semester. 272 00:13:02,606 --> 00:13:06,056 And before he left I told him I said, logan, I'm going to come 273 00:13:06,116 --> 00:13:07,178 see you for spring break. 274 00:13:07,178 --> 00:13:08,602 And he kind of laughed. 275 00:13:08,602 --> 00:13:16,730 I'm super spontaneous and I say all kinds of things and it 276 00:13:16,750 --> 00:13:17,932 really just depends if I actually follow through on it. 277 00:13:17,932 --> 00:13:19,177 And saying that I was going to pay for a trip for myself to 278 00:13:19,197 --> 00:13:20,178 Italy was kind of out there. 279 00:13:20,178 --> 00:13:22,432 So he thought I was kidding and so I made it my goal. 280 00:13:22,472 --> 00:13:24,642 So over Christmas break I asked my parents. 281 00:13:24,642 --> 00:13:29,355 I said, mom, dad, if I saved up enough money theoretically to 282 00:13:29,395 --> 00:13:30,798 go to Europe for spring break. 283 00:13:30,798 --> 00:13:32,503 Is that like could I do it? 284 00:13:32,503 --> 00:13:35,498 And they're like, yeah sure, they had no faith that I was 285 00:13:35,538 --> 00:13:38,092 actually going to save up enough of my money to afford to go to 286 00:13:38,214 --> 00:13:39,375 Europe for spring break. 287 00:13:39,375 --> 00:13:42,991 So I started saving as soon as I got back and got to work here 288 00:13:43,032 --> 00:13:46,861 in College Station I did not go to the grocery store for three 289 00:13:46,902 --> 00:13:47,221 months. 290 00:13:47,221 --> 00:13:48,633 I only ate ramen. 291 00:13:48,633 --> 00:13:51,981 That was very college fashion to me and I saved every penny I 292 00:13:52,022 --> 00:13:54,620 could because I wanted to be able to go Eventually. 293 00:13:54,620 --> 00:13:55,764 I saved up enough money. 294 00:13:55,764 --> 00:13:58,996 I ended up booking a flight in my office at work one day and I 295 00:13:59,017 --> 00:14:02,389 texted Logan and said, hey, I'm coming, and he ended up finding 296 00:14:02,490 --> 00:14:03,913 us travel to. 297 00:14:03,994 --> 00:14:08,287 We went to London and Paris also during that week and it was 298 00:14:08,506 --> 00:14:10,115 absolutely, absolutely chaotic. 299 00:14:10,115 --> 00:14:11,162 It was so much fun. 300 00:14:11,162 --> 00:14:14,918 He's one of my best friends in the world and we really just got 301 00:14:14,918 --> 00:14:18,029 to experience those things that not a lot of college kids have 302 00:14:18,090 --> 00:14:22,437 the opportunity to, and I think it's a really cool experience. 303 00:14:22,437 --> 00:14:27,033 Now, seeing things, I will say Europe it's not the same as the 304 00:14:27,094 --> 00:14:27,897 US, but there are a lot of similarities. 305 00:14:27,897 --> 00:14:28,096 So it did. 306 00:14:28,096 --> 00:14:29,461 It did widen my perspective, but not as much as some of my 307 00:14:29,481 --> 00:14:30,244 trips I'm about to lot of similarities. 308 00:14:30,244 --> 00:14:30,465 So it did. 309 00:14:30,465 --> 00:14:32,971 It did widen my perspective, but not as much as some of my 310 00:14:33,011 --> 00:14:36,461 trips I'm about to get to did, but it was truly one of the 311 00:14:36,500 --> 00:14:40,500 coolest things and the amount of pride I felt that I had set 312 00:14:40,541 --> 00:14:43,792 that as my goal and I had saved my money and put that effort 313 00:14:43,831 --> 00:14:45,298 towards that and accomplished it . 314 00:14:45,298 --> 00:14:46,162 I was. 315 00:14:46,162 --> 00:14:48,331 That was something I did at 19 years old, and that was 316 00:14:48,350 --> 00:14:51,961 something I walked away very proud of and we had a blast. 317 00:14:52,049 --> 00:14:56,080 And I'll insert a little funny story here um, logan and I were 318 00:14:56,100 --> 00:14:59,235 doing this the very cheap way, so we were staying in hostels. 319 00:14:59,235 --> 00:15:04,188 Our modes of transportation were interesting, to say the 320 00:15:04,229 --> 00:15:04,450 least. 321 00:15:04,450 --> 00:15:08,356 So when we were in London and we wanted to go to Paris, we 322 00:15:08,397 --> 00:15:13,024 decided to book an overnight bus because we didn't have to pay 323 00:15:13,065 --> 00:15:17,879 for a hostel for that night and also it was the cheapest mode of 324 00:15:17,879 --> 00:15:19,583 transportation, and it was $30. 325 00:15:19,583 --> 00:15:21,916 And so what could go wrong, right? 326 00:15:21,916 --> 00:15:22,618 Wow. 327 00:15:22,618 --> 00:15:26,450 So we ended up on this overnight bus that we thought 328 00:15:26,529 --> 00:15:29,621 was going to go under the tunnel underneath the English Channel. 329 00:15:29,621 --> 00:15:30,445 We ended up. 330 00:15:30,445 --> 00:15:32,292 There were only eight people on the bus. 331 00:15:32,292 --> 00:15:34,118 We were the only two that spoke English. 332 00:15:34,118 --> 00:15:38,614 We ended up on a ferry in the middle of the night, a huge 333 00:15:38,693 --> 00:15:41,563 ferry with approximately 20 people on it. 334 00:15:41,563 --> 00:15:44,393 It was one of the eeriest experiences ever there. 335 00:15:44,393 --> 00:15:46,558 For a minute we really questioned our decision, but we 336 00:15:46,599 --> 00:15:50,254 made it to Paris safely and we have a story we can tell to 337 00:15:50,375 --> 00:15:51,379 anyone at any time. 338 00:15:51,379 --> 00:15:52,542 So that's really great. 339 00:15:52,542 --> 00:15:54,975 But that was my first international experience. 340 00:15:55,515 --> 00:15:59,331 The next two were actually through Texas A&M, the first one 341 00:15:59,331 --> 00:15:59,953 I went. 342 00:15:59,953 --> 00:16:03,741 Almost a week after I got back from Europe I went to San Miguel 343 00:16:03,741 --> 00:16:07,722 de Allende, mexico, and that was through a program at Texas 344 00:16:07,783 --> 00:16:08,605 A&M University. 345 00:16:08,605 --> 00:16:12,769 It came to my email and it was an opportunity to go to Mexico 346 00:16:13,350 --> 00:16:16,879 where it was a highly subsidized cost, and so I applied for this 347 00:16:16,879 --> 00:16:19,513 program, kind of shot in the dark, I didn't know much about 348 00:16:19,572 --> 00:16:24,230 it and it was with one of our associate deans, dr Curtin, and 349 00:16:24,311 --> 00:16:28,279 she takes us to Mexico and it's truly a cultural experience. 350 00:16:28,279 --> 00:16:31,638 So the idea behind it is learning the culture of Mexico 351 00:16:32,481 --> 00:16:35,340 and because that just widens your perspective so much, and so 352 00:16:35,340 --> 00:16:37,831 we had a class for it, and so in the weeks leading up to the 353 00:16:37,871 --> 00:16:41,804 trip we'd go to class every Friday and she would share 354 00:16:41,865 --> 00:16:42,989 stories about Mexico. 355 00:16:42,989 --> 00:16:47,498 We did research projects, me and my group did the food and 356 00:16:47,597 --> 00:16:52,206 other projects, did art and music, and we really just like 357 00:16:52,285 --> 00:16:56,193 immersed ourselves in Mexican history and their culture. 358 00:16:56,293 --> 00:16:59,279 And then we got to go to Mexico and actually experience it. 359 00:16:59,279 --> 00:17:03,975 We also visited a high tech and a low tech farm there and that 360 00:17:04,036 --> 00:17:07,002 was one of the most eye-opening experiences I have ever had. 361 00:17:07,002 --> 00:17:10,925 So we started out going to the high tech farm and it was very 362 00:17:11,007 --> 00:17:14,855 similar to something you would see in the US Very similar. 363 00:17:14,855 --> 00:17:20,585 They had drip irrigation and they had different chemicals 364 00:17:20,625 --> 00:17:22,035 that they were mixing in with their water. 365 00:17:22,035 --> 00:17:24,462 Just a very high-tech operation . 366 00:17:24,462 --> 00:17:28,653 And then that afternoon we completely flipped a switch and 367 00:17:28,673 --> 00:17:33,179 we went to a low tech operation where it was one guy with less 368 00:17:33,199 --> 00:17:37,943 than an acre of land that he plowed by hand using a mule, and 369 00:17:37,943 --> 00:17:40,553 we as students got to try to do that by ourselves. 370 00:17:40,553 --> 00:17:43,400 We got to actually use that plow that was attached to the 371 00:17:43,440 --> 00:17:46,915 mule and I did one pass and I broke a sweat. 372 00:17:47,396 --> 00:17:49,781 And it was one of like the most challenging things I had ever 373 00:17:49,843 --> 00:17:53,193 done and it truly, truly opened my eyes, because you hear about 374 00:17:53,233 --> 00:17:57,438 people doing that, but until you actually experience it it's 375 00:17:57,479 --> 00:18:00,321 really hard to grasp what they're actually doing and how 376 00:18:00,382 --> 00:18:03,144 challenging that can be, but that they're doing that to 377 00:18:03,184 --> 00:18:13,573 provide for their family the same opportunities to have that 378 00:18:13,593 --> 00:18:14,695 same technology at that high-tech farm, and that is 379 00:18:14,715 --> 00:18:16,501 something that I think will stick with me for the rest of my 380 00:18:16,501 --> 00:18:16,603 life. 381 00:18:16,603 --> 00:18:18,127 It was just such an eye-opening experience. 382 00:18:18,127 --> 00:18:20,974 And then, lastly, that was Mexico. 383 00:18:20,974 --> 00:18:23,701 For the most part I can't tell you all about it, but then, 384 00:18:23,769 --> 00:18:28,579 lastly, I spent about a month in Namibia, which is a country in 385 00:18:28,740 --> 00:18:31,972 Africa it's right above South Africa and that was a study 386 00:18:32,013 --> 00:18:35,560 abroad I did through Texas A&M with a professor named Dr Jack 387 00:18:35,701 --> 00:18:36,123 Elliott. 388 00:18:36,123 --> 00:18:39,173 He is one of the most phenomenal humans on the planet 389 00:18:40,035 --> 00:18:43,001 and I'm actually super excited because I have the opportunity 390 00:18:43,061 --> 00:18:47,563 to possibly go back to Namibia next May as a teaching assistant 391 00:18:47,563 --> 00:18:50,792 if I can recruit 15 Texas A&M students to enroll in the 392 00:18:50,813 --> 00:18:55,275 program, and that's my goal right now is to recruit enough 393 00:18:55,315 --> 00:18:57,082 kids to go back that I also get to go. 394 00:18:57,903 --> 00:19:00,131 But Namibia was truly amazing. 395 00:19:00,131 --> 00:19:02,013 I had never been to Africa. 396 00:19:02,013 --> 00:19:06,321 I did not know at all what to expect. 397 00:19:06,321 --> 00:19:08,570 I went into it kind of blind. 398 00:19:08,570 --> 00:19:13,299 We had done our research, but it was just truly so much 399 00:19:13,420 --> 00:19:15,584 different than what I'm used to. 400 00:19:15,584 --> 00:19:19,701 So, like I said, europe has some similarities to America. 401 00:19:19,701 --> 00:19:26,339 Africa does as well, but it's a much lesser, much less 402 00:19:26,380 --> 00:19:28,663 similarities than there are to America, than there are in 403 00:19:28,784 --> 00:19:29,065 Europe. 404 00:19:30,030 --> 00:19:41,516 And so, while we were there, it was just amazing to see the slow 405 00:19:41,516 --> 00:19:43,460 pace of life that they have, and it was just everything was 406 00:19:43,480 --> 00:19:43,840 so much in Africa. 407 00:19:43,840 --> 00:19:44,321 Yes, okay, okay. 408 00:19:44,321 --> 00:19:45,684 It was just so slow, everyone. 409 00:19:45,684 --> 00:19:49,114 There wasn't as much of a hurry and a bustle as you see here 410 00:19:50,115 --> 00:19:51,338 and then one of the. 411 00:19:51,599 --> 00:19:52,461 Speaker 2: Can I ask you why? 412 00:19:52,461 --> 00:19:54,114 Why do you think that it was that way? 413 00:19:54,535 --> 00:19:54,935 Speaker 3: Go ahead. 414 00:19:55,837 --> 00:19:57,021 Speaker 2: Why do you think it was slow? 415 00:20:02,471 --> 00:20:05,576 Speaker 3: I think partially is they are less developed than we 416 00:20:05,758 --> 00:20:08,363 are and I think that that has to do with it. 417 00:20:08,363 --> 00:20:10,452 A lot of the people. 418 00:20:10,452 --> 00:20:13,721 It was also heartbreaking because the distribution of 419 00:20:13,782 --> 00:20:17,854 wealth in Namibia is actually very extreme and there is a very 420 00:20:17,854 --> 00:20:20,260 high percentage of the population living in extreme 421 00:20:20,300 --> 00:20:23,976 poverty and you just see students just walking to school 422 00:20:24,757 --> 00:20:33,809 and people outside sitting at booths selling their craft booth 423 00:20:33,809 --> 00:20:34,571 selling their craft, and it just here. 424 00:20:34,571 --> 00:20:35,836 There's just so much corporate work and hustle and bustle to 425 00:20:35,855 --> 00:20:37,580 get to the next place and the next appointment and there it's 426 00:20:37,641 --> 00:20:38,763 just a simpler time. 427 00:20:39,250 --> 00:20:43,779 And but the thing that was the most amazing about it all was 428 00:20:44,099 --> 00:20:45,723 they all had smiles on their face. 429 00:20:45,723 --> 00:20:47,818 They weren't upset that they were in that situation. 430 00:20:47,818 --> 00:20:51,416 They weren't throwing themselves a pity party or woe 431 00:20:51,477 --> 00:20:55,036 is me but they were truly and genuinely happy and they were 432 00:20:55,056 --> 00:20:57,040 trying to make opportunities for ourselves. 433 00:20:57,040 --> 00:21:00,455 We went to this place called Penduka and actually I have a 434 00:21:00,496 --> 00:21:08,292 bag right here that I got from Penduka and what Penduka is? 435 00:21:08,292 --> 00:21:14,924 It is a group of women who they don't have as many 436 00:21:15,005 --> 00:21:19,153 opportunities to work in Namibia , and so it's a group of women 437 00:21:19,193 --> 00:21:22,369 who came together, created this place called Penduka, and it's 438 00:21:22,410 --> 00:21:26,720 where women can come to get a second income for their families 439 00:21:26,720 --> 00:21:29,535 by doing their crafts and that might look like hand embroidery, 440 00:21:29,535 --> 00:21:30,900 like the bag I just showed you. 441 00:21:30,900 --> 00:21:34,477 They also break up glass bottles and make their own beads 442 00:21:34,477 --> 00:21:37,692 , and they're genuinely so happy when they're doing it. 443 00:21:37,711 --> 00:21:39,698 We got to meet with them and talk with them and learn about 444 00:21:39,718 --> 00:21:42,135 what they do, and it is one of the coolest things. 445 00:21:42,135 --> 00:21:46,171 Their mission was just amazing to give those women just an 446 00:21:46,270 --> 00:21:50,338 opportunity and a chance to have a job, and it was just crazy, 447 00:21:50,420 --> 00:21:54,273 like the things that we take for granted here are just so much 448 00:21:54,335 --> 00:21:56,780 more apparent when you go somewhere where their way of 449 00:21:56,840 --> 00:22:01,364 life is so much different, and so Africa was really cool, and 450 00:22:01,423 --> 00:22:04,031 getting to learn about that and just really see the difference 451 00:22:04,071 --> 00:22:07,881 in that slower pace of life that I had never really witnessed 452 00:22:07,941 --> 00:22:12,227 before was truly an amazing experience, and all three trips 453 00:22:12,307 --> 00:22:15,015 were awesome and I'm just glad that I'm getting to travel. 454 00:22:15,015 --> 00:22:18,411 I don't think there's a good reason for me to say no to an 455 00:22:18,471 --> 00:22:22,580 opportunity to go abroad right now, and things could be 456 00:22:22,621 --> 00:22:25,255 different, so I need to take this opportunity while I can and 457 00:22:25,255 --> 00:22:26,417 jump on it and act on it. 458 00:22:27,961 --> 00:22:28,222 Speaker 2: Boy. 459 00:22:28,222 --> 00:22:32,555 You just so much, oh my goodness, boy, you just so much, 460 00:22:32,555 --> 00:22:35,481 oh my goodness, so much you just shared is so valuable. 461 00:22:35,481 --> 00:22:41,193 I hope people are listening intently to what you just shared 462 00:22:41,193 --> 00:22:41,193 . 463 00:22:41,193 --> 00:22:44,099 I love the fact that you're, you saw an opportunity and 464 00:22:44,119 --> 00:22:45,403 you're making yourself available . 465 00:22:45,403 --> 00:22:53,172 I love the fact that you talked about making sacrifices to get 466 00:22:53,192 --> 00:22:53,412 to the goal. 467 00:22:53,412 --> 00:22:56,414 You didn't have to do that, but it was important to you so 468 00:22:56,454 --> 00:23:00,858 you're willing to, and I know the Roman noodle routine too, so 469 00:23:00,858 --> 00:23:02,140 I know what you're talking about. 470 00:23:02,140 --> 00:23:04,582 You know you made some sacrifices to get to the goal. 471 00:23:04,582 --> 00:23:09,446 Your willingness to soak up the experience, the awareness. 472 00:23:13,670 --> 00:23:14,913 My son and I my oldest son and I we went and worked in an 473 00:23:14,932 --> 00:23:18,461 orphanage in Chihuahua, mexico, and we know, I know exactly what 474 00:23:18,461 --> 00:23:19,343 you're talking about. 475 00:23:19,343 --> 00:23:24,098 You know it's just it's not as developed the things you know. 476 00:23:24,098 --> 00:23:27,231 I remember coming back and you know we would tell all the kids 477 00:23:27,291 --> 00:23:30,557 just throw your cell phone and radios and cameras on a table 478 00:23:30,577 --> 00:23:32,780 and they're like, oh no, you know we don't want them to get 479 00:23:32,821 --> 00:23:33,122 taken. 480 00:23:33,122 --> 00:23:34,684 So, trust me, just throw them on the table. 481 00:23:34,684 --> 00:23:38,118 And they'd throw them on the table because the kids that were 482 00:23:38,118 --> 00:23:41,493 there, they just wanted to play , they just wanted somebody to 483 00:23:41,554 --> 00:23:42,174 play with them. 484 00:23:42,174 --> 00:23:45,349 They were orphans, they just wanted somebody to be with them. 485 00:23:45,349 --> 00:23:48,856 And I remember on our way back I was asking them I said what 486 00:23:48,876 --> 00:23:49,519 did you learn? 487 00:23:49,519 --> 00:23:51,563 And they said just how much we have. 488 00:23:51,563 --> 00:23:52,203 And they don't. 489 00:23:52,203 --> 00:23:56,740 And I said, but don't forget, they don't miss what they've 490 00:23:56,779 --> 00:23:57,280 never had. 491 00:23:57,280 --> 00:24:02,717 And so, to your point, the little things in their life just 492 00:24:02,717 --> 00:24:04,601 make them grateful. 493 00:24:04,601 --> 00:24:05,903 They're happy. 494 00:24:06,950 --> 00:24:09,978 I support another ministry called Jacaranda Ministries, 495 00:24:10,578 --> 00:24:14,494 very much like Penduka that you're describing, and it's some 496 00:24:14,494 --> 00:24:18,362 doctors here in Wichita Falls and they go over and provide 497 00:24:18,422 --> 00:24:22,542 services to this little village and over time they've seen their 498 00:24:22,542 --> 00:24:25,172 health improve, they've seen their education improve. 499 00:24:25,172 --> 00:24:30,962 But the whole experience, when you're taking it all in the 500 00:24:31,002 --> 00:24:35,717 whole experience, you learn just how much agriculture affects 501 00:24:35,936 --> 00:24:36,759 all these things. 502 00:24:36,759 --> 00:24:41,894 When the doctors are there and they, the kids, come up and they 503 00:24:41,894 --> 00:24:45,282 ask them what's wrong with you, and they'll point to their head 504 00:24:45,282 --> 00:24:47,693 and they'll point to their tail end and they'll say worms and 505 00:24:47,734 --> 00:24:48,115 worms. 506 00:24:48,115 --> 00:24:52,123 And little kids are telling you the five parasites that live in 507 00:24:52,123 --> 00:24:52,644 their gut. 508 00:24:52,644 --> 00:24:56,837 And that's the reason the doctors, you know one of the 509 00:24:56,877 --> 00:24:59,375 first things they put in for is wormers and vitamins. 510 00:25:00,471 --> 00:25:02,378 But that's not something that we would think about. 511 00:25:02,378 --> 00:25:04,237 We would think about, let's just send food. 512 00:25:04,237 --> 00:25:07,838 Well, the challenge is you're sending food, but the parasites 513 00:25:07,878 --> 00:25:09,041 are the ones winning the battle. 514 00:25:09,041 --> 00:25:12,750 They don't have the same refrigeration system we have. 515 00:25:12,750 --> 00:25:17,820 They don't have access to clean water Just what you've shared 516 00:25:17,881 --> 00:25:18,342 alone. 517 00:25:18,342 --> 00:25:25,637 Even Europe, milan versus Africa, and maybe even parts of 518 00:25:25,698 --> 00:25:26,259 Mexico. 519 00:25:26,259 --> 00:25:30,472 We see these distinction of what the challenges in our world 520 00:25:30,472 --> 00:25:31,474 really look like. 521 00:25:31,474 --> 00:25:33,500 And they are. 522 00:25:33,500 --> 00:25:34,442 They are big. 523 00:25:34,442 --> 00:25:37,974 They are big challenges. 524 00:25:39,135 --> 00:25:41,339 Speaker 3: Yes, sir, but I think to your point. 525 00:25:41,621 --> 00:25:43,505 Speaker 2: There's opportunity because of that. 526 00:25:45,248 --> 00:25:47,502 Speaker 3: Yes and I think that that was one of the biggest 527 00:25:47,542 --> 00:25:50,597 conclusions I drew at the end of my travel is I want to do 528 00:25:50,698 --> 00:25:54,653 something, that where I can be involved in these different 529 00:25:54,692 --> 00:25:58,503 communities and I can do my part in helping them and helping 530 00:25:58,544 --> 00:25:59,346 people back home. 531 00:25:59,346 --> 00:26:02,019 And I don't know exactly what that looks like, but I do want 532 00:26:02,038 --> 00:26:07,267 to get my toes in international waters and really just learn 533 00:26:07,287 --> 00:26:10,698 with them and grow with them and continue to develop my 534 00:26:10,759 --> 00:26:15,107 perspective, and I think now again is one of the only times I 535 00:26:15,107 --> 00:26:15,528 can do it. 536 00:26:15,528 --> 00:26:18,363 That's why I'm looking to do something international as soon 537 00:26:18,423 --> 00:26:21,460 as I graduate, because I think this is the prime time where I 538 00:26:21,500 --> 00:26:24,256 don't have a family to worry about. 539 00:26:24,256 --> 00:26:29,144 It's just me, and I'll miss my mom and dad and my grandparents 540 00:26:29,204 --> 00:26:29,826 if I do it. 541 00:26:29,826 --> 00:26:33,461 But I think this is the best opportunity I'll have and you 542 00:26:33,480 --> 00:26:36,096 got to act on it when you get an opportunity like this. 543 00:26:36,838 --> 00:26:38,787 Speaker 2: Well, I'm proud of you for doing it and I think 544 00:26:38,826 --> 00:26:41,757 you're absolutely right, and I appreciate the fact that you're 545 00:26:41,797 --> 00:26:42,578 willing to share. 546 00:26:42,578 --> 00:26:45,045 I'm also appreciative of the fact that you're willing to pour 547 00:26:45,045 --> 00:26:48,861 this into other people, because somebody may be listening right 548 00:26:48,861 --> 00:26:53,517 now in a classroom and their mind is now saying, wow, maybe I 549 00:26:53,517 --> 00:26:56,423 can do something like that, maybe I can travel and have 550 00:26:56,463 --> 00:26:57,205 those experiences. 551 00:26:57,205 --> 00:26:59,839 And, by the way, it won't matter where you go. 552 00:26:59,839 --> 00:27:02,507 I mean, I've talked to people that have been to Australia. 553 00:27:02,507 --> 00:27:09,303 I've talked to people that have been to Australia. 554 00:27:09,303 --> 00:27:12,250 I've talked to people that have been to Iceland, to New Zealand 555 00:27:12,250 --> 00:27:14,674 , to Greenland, obviously, africa, south America you know 556 00:27:14,694 --> 00:27:16,076 we've had state officers that have gone there. 557 00:27:16,076 --> 00:27:20,499 It's the fact that we get to see beyond you know this fact. 558 00:27:20,499 --> 00:27:21,999 We get to see beyond our block. 559 00:27:21,999 --> 00:27:25,300 It's the fact that we get to see beyond our city limits. 560 00:27:25,300 --> 00:27:29,844 We get to see beyond our county line, beyond our state line, 561 00:27:30,304 --> 00:27:32,746 and then I've been in every state in the country except for 562 00:27:32,806 --> 00:27:33,326 Alaska. 563 00:27:33,326 --> 00:27:39,068 It's a great experience to take in and see what cultures are 564 00:27:39,109 --> 00:27:40,529 like, what food is like. 565 00:27:41,931 --> 00:27:53,516 I remember asking one of my board members he used to be the 566 00:27:53,536 --> 00:27:54,960 head of All Flex Tags and he was from New Zealand, I believe 567 00:27:54,980 --> 00:27:56,584 originally Brian Bolton and I asked Brian, I said you travel 568 00:27:56,624 --> 00:27:58,208 abroad, you travel around the world. 569 00:27:58,208 --> 00:28:00,739 How is it different than here? 570 00:28:00,739 --> 00:28:05,236 And what's interesting is what he shared is exactly what you've 571 00:28:05,236 --> 00:28:05,676 shared. 572 00:28:05,676 --> 00:28:07,820 He said Aaron, it's not. 573 00:28:07,820 --> 00:28:11,654 He said they're just like us, they want to provide for their 574 00:28:11,694 --> 00:28:12,215 families. 575 00:28:12,215 --> 00:28:14,098 They're just like us. 576 00:28:14,098 --> 00:28:20,990 They laugh, they dance, they tell jokes, they have heartache. 577 00:28:20,990 --> 00:28:24,424 And what he did just like what you just shared he's put it in 578 00:28:24,555 --> 00:28:28,986 perspective that we're really all pretty much the same. 579 00:28:28,986 --> 00:28:33,416 Sometimes we're just a little more grateful because we realize 580 00:28:33,416 --> 00:28:37,866 it, and sometimes we just work harder because we're not aware 581 00:28:37,886 --> 00:28:38,895 that we're not supposed to. 582 00:28:40,298 --> 00:28:40,799 Speaker 3: Yes, sir. 583 00:28:41,661 --> 00:28:45,749 And you said that so beautifully , it's so cool and everywhere 584 00:28:45,788 --> 00:28:48,099 I've traveled, one of my favorite things is talking to 585 00:28:48,119 --> 00:28:51,757 the locals and it's crazy how easily you can connect with 586 00:28:51,777 --> 00:28:54,688 those people that you just you may assume they're different 587 00:28:54,708 --> 00:28:57,560 than you, but we're all really like you said, we're so similar 588 00:28:58,001 --> 00:29:02,596 and it's so easy to make those connections and learn from them 589 00:29:02,635 --> 00:29:05,344 and learn from their experiences and get to share some of my own 590 00:29:05,344 --> 00:29:06,247 experiences. 591 00:29:06,247 --> 00:29:09,078 I remember I had one conversation and was trying to 592 00:29:09,159 --> 00:29:14,126 explain what FFA was at one point when I was in Africa and 593 00:29:14,166 --> 00:29:17,036 trying to explain that that was completely foreign to them, when 594 00:29:17,036 --> 00:29:20,401 here, I would say, a majority of the general public. 595 00:29:20,401 --> 00:29:23,486 They may not know exactly what FFA is, but they have a general 596 00:29:24,026 --> 00:29:26,549 understanding, maybe at least what the letters stand for. 597 00:29:26,875 --> 00:29:28,542 And so that was something that stood out to people. 598 00:29:30,499 --> 00:29:31,763 Speaker 2: Well, no doubt that's a challenge. 599 00:29:31,763 --> 00:29:34,342 Language barriers are a legitimate challenge. 600 00:29:34,782 --> 00:29:35,625 Speaker 3: They are yes. 601 00:29:36,175 --> 00:29:38,982 Speaker 2: I remember I had the opportunity to hear Hugh Grant 602 00:29:39,242 --> 00:29:41,367 at the time, who was the president and CEO of Monsanto, 603 00:29:42,501 --> 00:29:45,762 and he was traveling over in Africa and they came up to this 604 00:29:46,144 --> 00:29:49,615 village in a school and all the kids were out underneath the 605 00:29:49,655 --> 00:29:53,305 tree and he said, oh, that's great, you got the kids outside, 606 00:29:53,305 --> 00:29:54,287 they're getting fresh air. 607 00:29:54,287 --> 00:29:57,444 He said that's wonderful and they said, no, mr Grant, you 608 00:29:57,464 --> 00:30:02,096 don't understand this is an arid land and we can't hardly get 609 00:30:02,135 --> 00:30:02,996 anything to grow. 610 00:30:04,116 --> 00:30:08,098 But you guys invented a drought tolerant seed and now we've got 611 00:30:08,118 --> 00:30:11,641 to harvest and the problem is we've now harvested so much that 612 00:30:11,641 --> 00:30:14,501 the only place we have left to store it is the schoolhouse. 613 00:30:14,501 --> 00:30:20,244 And he said we have a language barrier to the village down the 614 00:30:20,305 --> 00:30:23,166 road and we can't communicate to them that we have food. 615 00:30:23,166 --> 00:30:26,708 There's a river over here that prevents us from getting grain 616 00:30:26,748 --> 00:30:30,789 across to this other village, and so when we think about the 617 00:30:30,911 --> 00:30:33,811 opportunities in agriculture, they're huge. 618 00:30:33,811 --> 00:30:40,605 They're the ability to communicate, they're the ability 619 00:30:40,605 --> 00:30:45,517 to engineer, they're the ability to use science to 620 00:30:45,557 --> 00:30:46,357 produce food with limited resources. 621 00:30:46,357 --> 00:30:49,561 When I think about protein production, you know it's real 622 00:30:49,662 --> 00:30:51,304 easy in our country to think about. 623 00:30:51,304 --> 00:30:53,747 You know, I worked at Boys Ranch. 624 00:30:53,747 --> 00:30:56,789 I remember we used to harvest 10 hogs and five beef a week. 625 00:30:56,789 --> 00:31:03,116 When I went to Texas Tech, I cut meat. 626 00:31:03,116 --> 00:31:04,538 That's my first job was I was a meat cutter. 627 00:31:04,538 --> 00:31:06,884 But where you've been and what you've seen, they don't have 628 00:31:07,404 --> 00:31:08,807 coal storage like we have. 629 00:31:08,807 --> 00:31:15,777 They don't have the water capacity to really clean a 630 00:31:15,797 --> 00:31:16,759 carcass, maybe the way it needs to be cleaned. 631 00:31:16,759 --> 00:31:19,403 So protein is going to become a real issue when we start 632 00:31:19,443 --> 00:31:25,375 thinking about food sources around the world and you know we 633 00:31:25,375 --> 00:31:26,721 debate so many things in this country. 634 00:31:27,806 --> 00:31:29,874 I might have shared the story with you when you were a state 635 00:31:29,933 --> 00:31:34,503 officer, but I went to Area 3 to a large Houston area school and 636 00:31:34,503 --> 00:31:37,936 spoke for a day and I remember the teacher told me she said 637 00:31:38,018 --> 00:31:40,564 Aaron, I've got practice in vegans and vegetarians. 638 00:31:40,564 --> 00:31:41,928 And I said that's fine. 639 00:31:41,928 --> 00:31:46,121 So I went the whole day and finally this one young lady came 640 00:31:46,121 --> 00:31:49,657 up to me at the end of the day and she said Mr Alejandro, I'm a 641 00:31:49,657 --> 00:31:50,681 practice in vegan. 642 00:31:50,681 --> 00:31:51,782 What do you think about that? 643 00:31:51,782 --> 00:31:53,776 And I said I think that's great . 644 00:31:53,776 --> 00:31:57,545 And she said well, you don't think your way's better, don't 645 00:31:57,585 --> 00:31:58,366 you have cattle? 646 00:31:58,366 --> 00:32:06,188 And I said well, yeah, but what part of my presentation did you 647 00:32:06,188 --> 00:32:06,951 not understand? 648 00:32:06,951 --> 00:32:10,940 People are going to die today from starvation. 649 00:32:10,940 --> 00:32:12,085 I said you know, if you think we can get there on a plant, 650 00:32:12,105 --> 00:32:12,627 let's have that discussion. 651 00:32:12,627 --> 00:32:14,434 If I think we can get there with some animal protein, let's 652 00:32:14,454 --> 00:32:15,317 have that discussion. 653 00:32:15,738 --> 00:32:19,525 But why don't we feed people first and debate later? 654 00:32:21,008 --> 00:32:21,749 Speaker 3: That's so true. 655 00:32:22,215 --> 00:32:24,332 Speaker 2: And I think that's part of the challenges and I 656 00:32:24,352 --> 00:32:27,259 appreciate again the fact that you've seen. 657 00:32:27,259 --> 00:32:31,188 It allows you to provide a testimony that nobody can ever 658 00:32:31,248 --> 00:32:32,898 say that didn't happen to you. 659 00:32:32,898 --> 00:32:35,325 The fact that you've experienced, that you got your 660 00:32:35,384 --> 00:32:35,967 hands there. 661 00:32:35,967 --> 00:32:39,000 Nobody can ever say, Zoe, that's not what it's like over 662 00:32:39,039 --> 00:32:39,200 there. 663 00:32:39,200 --> 00:32:43,228 You get to say it is, and let me tell you about it because you 664 00:32:43,228 --> 00:32:43,949 experienced. 665 00:32:45,375 --> 00:32:48,362 Speaker 3: Yes, I think one of the coolest things about that 666 00:32:48,663 --> 00:32:52,520 and about what I've really learned is that I grew up in an 667 00:32:52,621 --> 00:32:55,290 agricultural background and I never thought I would come back 668 00:32:55,392 --> 00:32:57,659 and be involved in an agricultural background. 669 00:32:57,659 --> 00:33:00,445 That's just because I thought I had to be working on my dad's 670 00:33:00,546 --> 00:33:03,876 farm or working with cattle in order to be involved in 671 00:33:03,978 --> 00:33:04,599 agriculture. 672 00:33:04,599 --> 00:33:07,993 But I've learned and I knew this before my travels, but it's 673 00:33:07,993 --> 00:33:11,583 even further solidified just how diverse the opportunities in 674 00:33:11,583 --> 00:33:13,166 agriculture really are. 675 00:33:13,166 --> 00:33:17,324 It's like I have this passion for travel and international 676 00:33:17,384 --> 00:33:20,377 experience and I have this passion for agriculture and 677 00:33:20,397 --> 00:33:23,303 there are so many different jobs that I can pursue that 678 00:33:23,363 --> 00:33:24,765 intertwine those perfectly. 679 00:33:24,765 --> 00:33:28,415 And had you asked me that before my time in the FFA, I 680 00:33:28,457 --> 00:33:31,163 would have thought that you were absolutely crazy if you told me 681 00:33:31,163 --> 00:33:33,919 that and I would have thought there would never be a way that 682 00:33:33,959 --> 00:33:36,926 I could intertwine international experience and agriculture. 683 00:33:36,926 --> 00:33:40,624 But there are two peas in a pod and the opportunity is truly 684 00:33:40,703 --> 00:33:42,616 endless because the whole world needs to eat. 685 00:33:45,382 --> 00:33:47,566 Speaker 2: You have no idea how much I appreciate what you're 686 00:33:47,586 --> 00:33:47,807 saying. 687 00:33:47,807 --> 00:33:54,576 I've had kids, by the way, former FFA members that were 688 00:33:54,596 --> 00:33:56,240 through our ambassador program that applied for internships and 689 00:33:56,240 --> 00:33:59,046 stuff, and I remember on more than one occasion I've had them 690 00:33:59,146 --> 00:34:02,362 come back and say I'd like to do this internship, but I have 691 00:34:02,422 --> 00:34:04,287 this opportunity to travel abroad. 692 00:34:04,287 --> 00:34:07,263 And I remember telling them then you're not working for me 693 00:34:09,036 --> 00:34:11,204 and they would be a little shocked that I would say that 694 00:34:11,295 --> 00:34:14,664 and I'd say, listen, I love the fact that you want to come back 695 00:34:14,724 --> 00:34:18,719 and serve, but if you've got that opportunity, I really need 696 00:34:18,760 --> 00:34:20,061 you to go experience it. 697 00:34:20,061 --> 00:34:23,568 I need you to go take it in because the value that you're 698 00:34:23,608 --> 00:34:26,440 going to bring back from that experience is going to be far 699 00:34:26,760 --> 00:34:31,594 greater than any experience that I can give you through the 700 00:34:31,635 --> 00:34:33,963 foundation, even though they're great experiences. 701 00:34:33,963 --> 00:34:34,806 Don't take me wrong. 702 00:34:36,135 --> 00:34:39,764 That is a very unique experience and I'm just so glad that 703 00:34:39,824 --> 00:34:40,407 you've had it. 704 00:34:40,407 --> 00:34:43,902 And again, that's the reason why I really wanted you on this 705 00:34:43,963 --> 00:34:47,619 podcast is I wanted you to share that and you've done it, and 706 00:34:47,639 --> 00:34:49,023 you've done it beautifully, by the way. 707 00:34:49,023 --> 00:34:51,884 You've been very articulate in the way that you've shared it. 708 00:34:51,884 --> 00:34:56,744 You've shared it with clarity and I'm hopeful that the 709 00:34:56,784 --> 00:34:59,315 students and the teachers and the guests that are listening 710 00:34:59,815 --> 00:35:03,646 are really going to be able to assimilate the value of what 711 00:35:03,686 --> 00:35:05,838 you've just shared, because it's really good. 712 00:35:07,282 --> 00:35:09,288 Speaker 3: Thank you All right, so let's talk a little bit. 713 00:35:09,307 --> 00:35:11,721 Speaker 2: You've already see, I was going to ask you about 714 00:35:11,882 --> 00:35:13,346 opportunities in agriculture. 715 00:35:13,346 --> 00:35:17,663 Well, you've covered that, so let's, and you've talked. 716 00:35:17,663 --> 00:35:21,016 You talked a little bit about FFA, what it did for you, that 717 00:35:21,056 --> 00:35:22,221 kind of lent itself. 718 00:35:22,221 --> 00:35:22,802 I mean. 719 00:35:22,802 --> 00:35:26,603 I would just be curious you know, what skills did you learn 720 00:35:26,664 --> 00:35:31,597 in FFA that you're learning, you're still using today and 721 00:35:31,777 --> 00:35:34,083 that you applied when you were in a foreign country? 722 00:35:35,467 --> 00:35:35,889 Speaker 3: Perfect. 723 00:35:35,889 --> 00:35:38,956 Yes, so the FFA is a really cool program. 724 00:35:38,956 --> 00:35:39,719 We all know this. 725 00:35:39,719 --> 00:35:43,126 It's a CTE program and it offers you a ton of skills. 726 00:35:43,126 --> 00:35:44,891 Really cool program, we all know this, it's a CTE program 727 00:35:44,911 --> 00:35:46,293 and it offers you a ton of skills. 728 00:35:49,494 --> 00:35:50,679 I wasn't somebody who really learned those hands-on 729 00:35:50,699 --> 00:35:52,364 applicable skills like welding or anything like that. 730 00:35:52,364 --> 00:35:53,266 That wasn't my cup of tea. 731 00:35:53,266 --> 00:35:55,396 For some students and for some FFA members, that is perfect. 732 00:35:55,396 --> 00:35:56,199 That is awesome. 733 00:35:56,199 --> 00:36:00,713 I wasn't into that kind of thing, and so I think that's 734 00:36:00,753 --> 00:36:04,179 part of the reason I was kind of initially deterred from the FFA 735 00:36:04,179 --> 00:36:04,179 . 736 00:36:04,179 --> 00:36:07,210 But little did I realize that I actually learned a ton of 737 00:36:07,251 --> 00:36:10,760 skills in the FFA that I may not have initially recognized, that 738 00:36:10,760 --> 00:36:14,536 have led me and shaped me into exactly who I am today, and I 739 00:36:14,576 --> 00:36:18,143 think really those are the leadership skills, the grit, the 740 00:36:18,143 --> 00:36:22,157 humility that the FFA taught me , and so leadership's a big one. 741 00:36:22,217 --> 00:36:26,244 I served as an officer in different capacities and that 742 00:36:26,465 --> 00:36:30,438 really gives you an opportunity to learn how you yourself can be 743 00:36:30,438 --> 00:36:32,969 the best leader and what it looks like to be a good leader 744 00:36:33,090 --> 00:36:36,079 and to put members first and others first and to have that 745 00:36:36,159 --> 00:36:37,302 selfless attitude. 746 00:36:37,302 --> 00:36:41,699 Grit is probably the biggest thing I think the FFA taught me 747 00:36:42,400 --> 00:36:44,666 I was always the bridesmaid, never the bride. 748 00:36:44,666 --> 00:36:48,697 I got second at state and so many different things, and I 749 00:36:48,737 --> 00:36:52,144 think it can be really easy to let that discourage you and make 750 00:36:52,144 --> 00:36:55,456 you want to give up, but it's taught me grit like no other and 751 00:36:55,456 --> 00:36:59,266 that has meant the world to me in my college studies, in my 752 00:36:59,326 --> 00:36:59,847 travels. 753 00:36:59,847 --> 00:37:03,826 It took grit to eat ramen for three months and to really stay 754 00:37:03,914 --> 00:37:07,148 focused on that goal, and the only reason I knew how to do 755 00:37:07,210 --> 00:37:09,918 that was because I learned it through the FFA, because I would 756 00:37:09,918 --> 00:37:13,847 set these goals in the FFA and I would have challenges, I would 757 00:37:13,847 --> 00:37:17,262 have hurdles and things would come up as roadblocks, but I 758 00:37:17,302 --> 00:37:20,376 just continued to persevere and I had my ag teachers, I had my 759 00:37:20,436 --> 00:37:24,360 family and I had my friends to encourage me and ultimately I 760 00:37:24,420 --> 00:37:28,605 learned that you can't give up and sometimes, even if you give 761 00:37:28,724 --> 00:37:32,648 100% effort, you may not win, and that's okay. 762 00:37:32,708 --> 00:37:34,570 And I think that's where I really learned humility. 763 00:37:34,570 --> 00:37:38,458 You don't have to be the best, because as long as you gave your 764 00:37:38,458 --> 00:37:42,005 best and you know that, you can confidently say that that's 765 00:37:42,045 --> 00:37:43,047 really all that mattered. 766 00:37:43,047 --> 00:37:45,920 And so I think those three things are some of the skills 767 00:37:45,960 --> 00:37:49,496 that have really helped me not only in college but in pursuing 768 00:37:49,516 --> 00:37:53,452 my dreams and other capacities, like travel, because they're 769 00:37:53,492 --> 00:37:55,416 important and they're important for anything. 770 00:37:55,416 --> 00:37:59,505 And I learned those three skills not in my literature 771 00:37:59,565 --> 00:38:02,907 classroom but in my ag classroom and it's something that I think 772 00:38:02,907 --> 00:38:06,601 I will carry with me forever and I am eternally grateful that 773 00:38:06,601 --> 00:38:07,724 the FFA taught me that. 774 00:38:09,976 --> 00:38:12,244 Speaker 2: Wow, what else can I ask? 775 00:38:12,244 --> 00:38:21,021 You're providing all this incredible wisdom and you know I 776 00:38:21,021 --> 00:38:27,056 can't wait to see where you end up, Um, and you know I can't 777 00:38:27,076 --> 00:38:27,637 wait to see where you end up. 778 00:38:27,637 --> 00:38:29,081 Um, the the want to, that you have the willingness to think 779 00:38:29,202 --> 00:38:32,411 outside of the box, the willingness to bring that grit 780 00:38:32,952 --> 00:38:36,063 to the table, the fact that you're a happy person, that 781 00:38:36,103 --> 00:38:37,286 you're a grateful person. 782 00:38:37,286 --> 00:38:41,443 You don't have a sense of entitlement, you have a sense of 783 00:38:41,443 --> 00:38:45,496 I want to go out and do something good, All of those 784 00:38:45,536 --> 00:38:45,777 things. 785 00:38:45,777 --> 00:38:49,958 I just cannot wait to see where you land, because I think we're 786 00:38:49,958 --> 00:38:51,224 already very proud of you. 787 00:38:51,224 --> 00:38:54,264 I know your mom and dad have got to be, and your grandparents 788 00:38:54,264 --> 00:38:54,264 . 789 00:38:54,264 --> 00:39:00,166 I can't wait to see where you end up and the difference that 790 00:39:00,186 --> 00:39:00,726 you're going to make. 791 00:39:00,726 --> 00:39:01,588 You're already making it. 792 00:39:01,588 --> 00:39:04,239 You and I have no idea. 793 00:39:05,161 --> 00:39:08,728 Mike Rowe was on the podcast and Mike Rowe and I were talking 794 00:39:08,789 --> 00:39:10,739 and I like what he said one time . 795 00:39:10,739 --> 00:39:14,226 He said you know they call us broadcasters in the world of 796 00:39:14,614 --> 00:39:19,065 multimedia, and he said that's an agricultural term, because 797 00:39:19,144 --> 00:39:23,858 broadcasting is what they would farmers would do with seeds, and 798 00:39:23,858 --> 00:39:26,503 so when I thought about the podcast and growing our future, 799 00:39:27,244 --> 00:39:28,126 that's what we're doing. 800 00:39:28,126 --> 00:39:35,295 We're broadcasting your incredible insights, we're 801 00:39:35,335 --> 00:39:36,498 broadcasting this hope of opportunity, we're broadcasting 802 00:39:36,518 --> 00:39:42,018 the blessing of what we have in this country, and so thank you 803 00:39:42,079 --> 00:39:45,286 so much for all that you've shared. 804 00:39:45,286 --> 00:39:46,688 It is incredible. 805 00:39:47,914 --> 00:39:48,597 Speaker 3: Oh, thank you. 806 00:39:48,597 --> 00:39:49,940 That means a lot. 807 00:39:49,940 --> 00:39:53,447 I can remember being younger and looking up to different 808 00:39:53,467 --> 00:39:56,860 people state officers and the FFA and thinking I could never 809 00:39:56,900 --> 00:40:00,297 do the things that they're doing , and I want anybody who's 810 00:40:00,338 --> 00:40:02,423 listening, who might be younger than me yes, you can. 811 00:40:02,423 --> 00:40:09,617 Don't let anybody tell you you can't. 812 00:40:09,617 --> 00:40:11,023 It's all up to you, it's all up to your mindset and, like I 813 00:40:11,043 --> 00:40:12,106 said earlier, just having that grit to keep trying. 814 00:40:12,106 --> 00:40:12,768 If you fall down, get up again. 815 00:40:12,768 --> 00:40:16,498 No goal is too big, and if you don't reach your goal exactly 816 00:40:16,538 --> 00:40:19,342 how you planned for it, it means God had a greater plan and to 817 00:40:19,382 --> 00:40:21,844 set another goal and to keep on getting up and trying. 818 00:40:21,844 --> 00:40:25,250 And so that's the only reason I'm here where I'm at today is 819 00:40:25,269 --> 00:40:27,820 because I've had people who supported me and I dreamed big 820 00:40:27,900 --> 00:40:29,706 and chased them as hard as I could. 821 00:40:29,846 --> 00:40:33,461 Speaker 2: So Well, we're going to end on that, because that is 822 00:40:33,621 --> 00:40:34,324 really good. 823 00:40:34,324 --> 00:40:36,543 So, but you do get one last fun question. 824 00:40:36,543 --> 00:40:39,440 All of my guests get one last fun question. 825 00:40:39,440 --> 00:40:43,847 I'm just curious Zoe Nolan, what is the best concert you've 826 00:40:43,887 --> 00:40:44,469 ever been to? 827 00:40:45,996 --> 00:40:48,344 Speaker 3: Oh, oh, that's hard, because I just went to really 828 00:40:48,425 --> 00:40:50,619 two good ones this summer and it's like a tie. 829 00:40:50,619 --> 00:40:56,139 I went to a Zach Bryan concert last week actually, and it was 830 00:40:56,199 --> 00:40:56,742 phenomenal. 831 00:40:56,742 --> 00:40:59,898 I've been a Zach Bryan fan for years, before he even blew up. 832 00:40:59,898 --> 00:41:01,123 I've been a Zach Bryan fan. 833 00:41:01,123 --> 00:41:04,978 But then the one that ties with it is, I went to a Noah Kahn 834 00:41:05,038 --> 00:41:09,045 concert um, kind of like country indie I don't know how to 835 00:41:09,085 --> 00:41:12,282 classify him, but I'm a huge fan of his music and I went to one 836 00:41:12,302 --> 00:41:15,974 at the beginning of the summer and it was like outdoors and an 837 00:41:16,115 --> 00:41:20,422 amphitheater and just the vibes were immaculate. 838 00:41:20,422 --> 00:41:25,789 Sorry, sorry, that was so Gen Z of me, but and it was great, I 839 00:41:25,869 --> 00:41:26,250 loved it. 840 00:41:27,456 --> 00:41:29,563 Speaker 2: I got to tell you, asking that question to the 841 00:41:29,603 --> 00:41:30,666 people that I've had on here. 842 00:41:30,666 --> 00:41:37,387 The scope is unbelievable from you know, sinatra, michael Bublé 843 00:41:37,387 --> 00:41:42,201 , sarah Bareilles, all the way to King George, to Metallica and 844 00:41:42,201 --> 00:41:42,922 Pitbull. 845 00:41:42,922 --> 00:41:45,927 So I love it. 846 00:41:45,927 --> 00:41:48,050 I love it, zoe. 847 00:41:48,050 --> 00:41:52,123 Thank you so much for sharing some of your time with us today. 848 00:41:52,123 --> 00:41:56,539 Really appreciate it To all of our listeners. 849 00:41:56,539 --> 00:41:59,847 Thank you again for stopping by the Growing Our Future podcast. 850 00:42:01,916 --> 00:42:04,143 I don't know about the folks that are going to watch this. 851 00:42:04,143 --> 00:42:06,981 If you're a young person, I hope you're looking up to Zoe 852 00:42:07,521 --> 00:42:10,829 and you're saying, wow, maybe I can do that. 853 00:42:10,829 --> 00:42:12,458 Look, she told me that I could do it. 854 00:42:12,458 --> 00:42:15,387 And maybe, if you're somebody like me that's got a few gray 855 00:42:15,454 --> 00:42:19,682 hairs, you listen to this young lady and you're that much more 856 00:42:19,742 --> 00:42:23,208 hopeful for our future that this is the person that's going to 857 00:42:23,235 --> 00:42:27,403 become the role model for my granddaughter and my grandson 858 00:42:27,945 --> 00:42:28,827 and my youngest. 859 00:42:28,827 --> 00:42:34,884 I mean, this is why I do my job , because I get to work with 860 00:42:34,923 --> 00:42:39,556 people like this and this is how we grow the future right here. 861 00:42:39,556 --> 00:42:41,402 This is how we grow the future. 862 00:42:41,402 --> 00:42:46,480 We share incredible ideas in a country full of incredible 863 00:42:46,579 --> 00:42:51,148 opportunities and we have a support system that will get us 864 00:42:51,235 --> 00:42:51,797 to that door. 865 00:42:52,077 --> 00:42:53,199 It can't get us through the door . 866 00:42:53,199 --> 00:42:54,202 We got to take advantage. 867 00:42:54,202 --> 00:42:59,182 Zoe said you've got to be the one to push through, but we're 868 00:42:59,202 --> 00:43:00,936 going to do everything we can to get you there. 869 00:43:00,936 --> 00:43:04,365 So thanks for stopping by the Growing Our Future podcast, 870 00:43:05,195 --> 00:43:05,597 remember. 871 00:43:05,597 --> 00:43:07,945 If you want to know what the future is, grow it. 872 00:43:07,945 --> 00:43:10,121 Listen to everything Zoe said today. 873 00:43:10,121 --> 00:43:14,405 Plant those seeds of greatness and grow an incredible future. 874 00:43:14,405 --> 00:43:17,338 And oh, by the way, until we meet again, go do something 875 00:43:17,378 --> 00:43:18,402 great for somebody else. 876 00:43:18,402 --> 00:43:21,657 Trust me, you're going to feel great about it and the world's 877 00:43:21,677 --> 00:43:22,902 going to be better because you did. 878 00:43:32,195 --> 00:43:32,817 Speaker 1: Thank you all for joining us. 879 00:43:32,817 --> 00:43:34,302 We hope you've enjoyed this episode of the Growing Our 880 00:43:34,322 --> 00:43:34,682 Future podcast. 881 00:43:34,682 --> 00:43:37,311 This show is sponsored by the Texas FFA Foundation, whose 882 00:43:37,391 --> 00:43:40,400 mission is to strengthen agricultural science education 883 00:43:40,780 --> 00:43:43,306 so students can develop their potential for personal.