1 00:00:02,746 --> 00:00:04,873 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Growing Our Future podcast. 2 00:00:04,873 --> 00:00:08,791 In this show, the Texas FFA Foundation will take on a 3 00:00:08,871 --> 00:00:12,643 journey of exploration into agricultural science, education, 4 00:00:12,643 --> 00:00:15,971 leadership development and insights from subject matter 5 00:00:16,050 --> 00:00:19,649 experts and sponsors who provide the fuel to make dreams come 6 00:00:19,689 --> 00:00:19,949 true. 7 00:00:19,949 --> 00:00:22,327 Here's your host, Aaron Alejandro. 8 00:00:31,538 --> 00:00:32,579 Speaker 2: Here is your host, aaron Alejandro. 9 00:00:32,579 --> 00:00:33,862 Well, good morning, good afternoon, good evening, or 10 00:00:33,883 --> 00:00:38,292 whenever you may be tuning into the Growing Our Future podcast. 11 00:00:38,292 --> 00:00:42,206 You know, we just appreciate so much that technology has 12 00:00:42,246 --> 00:00:46,994 allowed us to have a platform like this where we can bring 13 00:00:47,100 --> 00:00:50,307 guests on and they can share their insights, their 14 00:00:50,366 --> 00:00:53,941 experiences, their expertise, and then we get to put it on 15 00:00:53,981 --> 00:00:56,667 this incredible platform so it can be listened to around the 16 00:00:56,707 --> 00:00:57,027 world. 17 00:00:57,027 --> 00:01:01,066 And you know, it all really comes back to this point. 18 00:01:01,066 --> 00:01:04,816 You know, I like to always say if agriculture has taught me 19 00:01:04,876 --> 00:01:05,921 anything, it's taught me. 20 00:01:05,921 --> 00:01:08,608 If you want to know what the future is, grow it. 21 00:01:08,608 --> 00:01:10,816 Well, how do you grow the future? 22 00:01:10,816 --> 00:01:14,909 You got to plant the right seeds, and that's what we do 23 00:01:14,968 --> 00:01:17,718 with our guests, and so it is an honor. 24 00:01:17,757 --> 00:01:20,203 I've been excited about bringing this man back. 25 00:01:20,203 --> 00:01:23,930 He's been part of our leadership series before, but 26 00:01:23,969 --> 00:01:27,683 we're now bringing him back officially on the podcast and I 27 00:01:27,763 --> 00:01:28,387 am honored. 28 00:01:28,387 --> 00:01:31,069 I've had a front row seat to this man's career. 29 00:01:31,069 --> 00:01:35,186 It has been an honor to watch him grow personally, 30 00:01:35,287 --> 00:01:38,293 professionally, and I'm excited for y'all to get to meet him 31 00:01:38,313 --> 00:01:38,674 today. 32 00:01:38,674 --> 00:01:41,387 Ladies and gentlemen, this is Markimidis Reyes. 33 00:01:41,387 --> 00:01:42,329 Is it Dr Reyes? 34 00:01:43,621 --> 00:01:44,762 Speaker 3: Dr Reyes, good work, dr. 35 00:01:44,802 --> 00:01:46,468 Speaker 2: Reyes, he earned it. 36 00:01:46,468 --> 00:01:48,063 Thank you for joining us. 37 00:01:48,906 --> 00:01:49,206 Speaker 3: Thank you. 38 00:01:49,206 --> 00:01:49,989 Thank you for having me. 39 00:01:49,989 --> 00:01:50,932 It's been a pleasure. 40 00:01:51,659 --> 00:01:53,805 Speaker 2: Well, like I said, we're going to dig in deeper and 41 00:01:53,805 --> 00:01:56,471 we're going to talk about you know kind of where and how you 42 00:01:56,531 --> 00:02:00,504 ended up where you're at, and I knew that he was a doctor. 43 00:02:00,504 --> 00:02:03,049 I just wanted to make sure that I had it correct because let me 44 00:02:03,049 --> 00:02:05,894 tell you something, I suspect they didn't just hand it to him. 45 00:02:05,894 --> 00:02:09,243 Something tells me that he earned it and I know his 46 00:02:09,304 --> 00:02:12,062 family's proud of him, I'm proud of him, and so I wanted to make 47 00:02:12,062 --> 00:02:14,169 sure that I got that title exactly right. 48 00:02:14,169 --> 00:02:18,409 So, archimedes, I'm going to call you Archimedes through the 49 00:02:18,449 --> 00:02:23,348 day, but just know there's no disrespect to your being Dr S. 50 00:02:23,949 --> 00:02:24,951 Speaker 3: Oh no, I appreciate it. 51 00:02:25,211 --> 00:02:32,230 Speaker 2: Here we go, so every guest gets the same question, 52 00:02:33,055 --> 00:02:37,377 the same first question, and that is what are you grateful 53 00:02:37,418 --> 00:02:37,620 for today? 54 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:39,564 Speaker 3: I think that's a good question and there's a lot of 55 00:02:39,585 --> 00:02:42,548 things to be grateful for, but today I'm grateful for my family 56 00:02:42,548 --> 00:02:42,548 . 57 00:02:42,548 --> 00:02:46,241 To me, they're my foundation and they're my constant source 58 00:02:46,282 --> 00:02:46,742 of support. 59 00:02:46,742 --> 00:02:49,310 Okay, when I need it the most, they're always there for me. 60 00:02:49,310 --> 00:02:53,768 I'm also grateful to God for the blessings and guidances that 61 00:02:53,768 --> 00:02:57,423 have strengthened me, that have shaped me to make me who I am, 62 00:02:58,586 --> 00:02:59,872 basically lead me through this journey. 63 00:02:59,872 --> 00:03:02,662 I'm also thankful for the opportunities to teach the 64 00:03:02,701 --> 00:03:06,031 students and to mentor the future generation of agriculture 65 00:03:06,031 --> 00:03:06,031 . 66 00:03:06,031 --> 00:03:10,622 That's something that fills my bucket, and I guess I'm also 67 00:03:11,302 --> 00:03:14,888 grateful for organizations like the Future Farmers of America, 68 00:03:15,127 --> 00:03:20,435 who instilled a purpose, a passion for agriculture in my 69 00:03:20,495 --> 00:03:22,186 life, and I think it's doing that for others. 70 00:03:23,181 --> 00:03:25,343 Speaker 2: And we've got to do a whole podcast, and I could just 71 00:03:25,343 --> 00:03:27,788 stop right there. 72 00:03:27,788 --> 00:03:29,950 I couldn't agree with you more. 73 00:03:29,950 --> 00:03:33,903 I don't think there's anything greater than family. 74 00:03:33,903 --> 00:03:36,068 I don't think anybody you know. 75 00:03:36,068 --> 00:03:37,923 I had a kid the other day asked me this. 76 00:03:37,923 --> 00:03:38,927 I thought this was pretty good. 77 00:03:38,927 --> 00:03:44,125 I was down in Area 3, houston area and I had a kid ask me how 78 00:03:44,205 --> 00:03:46,729 important is faith to leadership . 79 00:03:46,729 --> 00:03:48,734 That's a good question. 80 00:03:49,400 --> 00:03:50,042 Speaker 1: It's a good question. 81 00:03:50,443 --> 00:03:53,069 Speaker 2: I just told him this you know, I said name the most 82 00:03:53,129 --> 00:03:56,926 famous people you could name in athletes and movie stars and in 83 00:03:57,007 --> 00:03:58,691 business and entertainment. 84 00:03:58,691 --> 00:04:02,145 And they named all these famous people and I said now name me 85 00:04:02,186 --> 00:04:06,112 just one of them, just one that makes their own heartbeat every 86 00:04:06,153 --> 00:04:06,334 day. 87 00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:12,074 And I said, if you don't have a little faith, you really might 88 00:04:12,133 --> 00:04:16,303 not find your purpose, but a little faith, family friends, a 89 00:04:16,363 --> 00:04:22,634 purpose, passion for what we do and a recognition that we stand 90 00:04:22,694 --> 00:04:24,625 on the shoulders of somebody that went before us. 91 00:04:24,625 --> 00:04:29,553 That's true, yes, sir, and you just you outlined all of that in 92 00:04:29,553 --> 00:04:32,737 a very simple introduction, so thank you for sharing that. 93 00:04:32,737 --> 00:04:34,403 Thank you, I appreciate it. 94 00:04:34,425 --> 00:04:35,702 Speaker 3: Yes, sir, it means a lot. 95 00:04:35,702 --> 00:04:38,992 You know just to say that family, god and friends right 96 00:04:39,100 --> 00:04:42,142 and your foundation for growth and success and you have to be 97 00:04:42,223 --> 00:04:43,348 able to utilize them. 98 00:04:44,279 --> 00:04:44,600 Speaker 2: I agree. 99 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:48,846 I agree, I wouldn't have made it, I wouldn't have been where I 100 00:04:48,846 --> 00:04:51,091 was at right now if it hadn't been for all those things. 101 00:04:51,091 --> 00:04:55,487 So let's dive in here, all right. 102 00:04:55,487 --> 00:05:01,122 I remember this young man when he was a much younger man and he 103 00:05:01,122 --> 00:05:05,850 was a volunteer in our foundation ambassador program. 104 00:05:05,850 --> 00:05:06,913 That's right. 105 00:05:06,913 --> 00:05:10,826 And I got to know him and then, the more I learned about his 106 00:05:10,886 --> 00:05:17,824 story, the more inspired I was by his grit, his resiliency, his 107 00:05:17,824 --> 00:05:20,730 focus on the future, his adaptability. 108 00:05:20,730 --> 00:05:23,141 There's just so many things that come to mind when I think 109 00:05:23,221 --> 00:05:26,646 of Archimedes' story, but I don't want to tell it. 110 00:05:26,646 --> 00:05:28,050 I want y'all to hear it. 111 00:05:28,050 --> 00:05:36,502 So, archimedes, I want you to take us back and we're going to 112 00:05:36,521 --> 00:05:37,182 get to where you're at today. 113 00:05:37,182 --> 00:05:38,846 Today, you're a professor, you're an associate professor of 114 00:05:38,846 --> 00:05:41,072 animal science at the University of Wisconsin in River 115 00:05:41,072 --> 00:05:41,514 Falls. 116 00:05:41,514 --> 00:05:43,177 That's a long way. 117 00:05:43,177 --> 00:05:44,324 That's just north Texas. 118 00:05:44,324 --> 00:05:46,622 I mean, that's just on the north part of Texas. 119 00:05:46,704 --> 00:05:48,569 Speaker 3: No, it's the north part of Texas, that's right. 120 00:05:48,689 --> 00:05:51,163 Speaker 2: Several states away and you're doing great things 121 00:05:51,223 --> 00:05:56,120 there, but I think that your story is one, in my opinion, of 122 00:05:56,139 --> 00:05:59,968 the most inspiring stories I've been privy to in my time in the 123 00:06:00,129 --> 00:06:04,706 FFA and in working with students , and so take us back and tell 124 00:06:04,805 --> 00:06:04,886 us. 125 00:06:04,886 --> 00:06:06,350 You know how did you end up? 126 00:06:06,350 --> 00:06:09,987 I think you were Lake Travis, is that correct? 127 00:06:09,987 --> 00:06:10,990 High? 128 00:06:11,009 --> 00:06:11,812 Speaker 3: school or Lanier? 129 00:06:11,812 --> 00:06:13,946 No, no, lanier High School. 130 00:06:13,946 --> 00:06:15,149 At the time it changes names. 131 00:06:16,081 --> 00:06:17,504 Speaker 2: You were Lanier there in Austin. 132 00:06:17,504 --> 00:06:23,062 But take us back to how you came to Lanier, kind of how you 133 00:06:23,101 --> 00:06:27,862 found your way into FFA and agricultural science and kind of 134 00:06:27,862 --> 00:06:28,786 what happened next. 135 00:06:30,449 --> 00:06:32,134 Speaker 3: Yeah, I guess you know my life started. 136 00:06:32,134 --> 00:06:36,067 My journey started in a small country in El Salvador at the 137 00:06:36,108 --> 00:06:38,560 time and still probably now it's considered a third world 138 00:06:38,581 --> 00:06:41,226 country where agriculture was a way of life. 139 00:06:41,226 --> 00:06:44,295 So I grew up in a small dairy and beef farm, working alongside 140 00:06:44,295 --> 00:06:45,372 my grandparents, but growing up , that was the job of life. 141 00:06:45,372 --> 00:06:45,838 So I grew up in a small dairy and beef farm working alongside 142 00:06:45,791 --> 00:06:48,867 my grandparents, but growing up, that was the job of the poor. 143 00:06:48,867 --> 00:06:50,884 I didn't want to do farming. 144 00:06:50,884 --> 00:06:53,141 When I came to the United States that's something that I 145 00:06:53,182 --> 00:06:55,449 was like hey, I want to be a businessman, I want to wear a 146 00:06:55,529 --> 00:06:59,004 suit, I want to go to a boardroom, I want to be 147 00:06:59,043 --> 00:07:01,831 successful in life and have some money in my pocket. 148 00:07:01,831 --> 00:07:07,884 And to me at the time I thought that that was going to fill my, 149 00:07:07,884 --> 00:07:11,290 my bucket and and it was hard to to picture myself going back 150 00:07:11,331 --> 00:07:13,519 to farming because I knew how hard it was. 151 00:07:13,519 --> 00:07:17,206 But once I came to the United States, I had different 152 00:07:17,247 --> 00:07:22,041 opportunities to be able to work alongside my dad, who was a 153 00:07:22,081 --> 00:07:25,348 construction worker, and then I realized that I needed to go to 154 00:07:25,389 --> 00:07:28,721 school rather than just keep working, because that was also a 155 00:07:28,721 --> 00:07:32,682 hard work, respectful work, but it was pretty tough and I said 156 00:07:32,701 --> 00:07:35,939 to myself maybe there's something else there for me, and 157 00:07:35,939 --> 00:07:37,002 so I decided to. 158 00:07:37,002 --> 00:07:42,045 We got enrolled in high school and I had the opportunity to 159 00:07:42,084 --> 00:07:45,353 meet an incredible ag teacher, mr Tracy Cortez. 160 00:07:45,353 --> 00:07:50,612 He has been a foundation, a rock in my life and my success, 161 00:07:51,579 --> 00:07:53,605 and I get a little teary sometimes when I talk about him 162 00:07:53,625 --> 00:07:55,050 because he means a lot to me. 163 00:07:55,050 --> 00:08:00,172 And so he saw in me what I didn't see in myself at the time 164 00:08:00,172 --> 00:08:03,829 and he encouraged me to just do more. 165 00:08:03,829 --> 00:08:04,992 He encouraged me to lead. 166 00:08:04,992 --> 00:08:06,860 He encouraged me to just do more. 167 00:08:06,860 --> 00:08:07,502 He encouraged me to lead. 168 00:08:07,502 --> 00:08:09,206 He encouraged me to be competitive and, more 169 00:08:09,226 --> 00:08:12,312 importantly, he helped me find my voice and my values. 170 00:08:12,312 --> 00:08:17,769 And so I got to Texas, to Central Texas, when I was 11 171 00:08:17,810 --> 00:08:22,125 years old 10, 11 years old and I had the opportunity to learn 172 00:08:22,165 --> 00:08:24,569 alongside Mr Tracy Cortez. 173 00:08:24,610 --> 00:08:28,524 As I started and I joined FFA, still didn't want to do 174 00:08:28,584 --> 00:08:32,105 agriculture okay so I started wanting to do something else and 175 00:08:32,105 --> 00:08:35,812 he encouraged me to pursue my dreams. 176 00:08:35,812 --> 00:08:40,727 And as I pursued those dreams, I ended up finding myself back 177 00:08:42,390 --> 00:08:43,312 into animal science. 178 00:08:43,312 --> 00:08:46,207 It's where I felt the comfort of home, it's where I felt like 179 00:08:46,249 --> 00:08:50,326 I belong and I was able to see through the FFA that there was 180 00:08:50,407 --> 00:08:52,191 future in agriculture. 181 00:08:52,191 --> 00:08:54,081 It was more than just a poor man's job. 182 00:08:54,081 --> 00:08:57,490 You're feeding the world and you're doing it as ethically as 183 00:08:57,591 --> 00:09:00,764 possible and as responsible as possible, utilizing all the 184 00:09:00,826 --> 00:09:02,509 resources that God has provided us. 185 00:09:03,351 --> 00:09:06,969 And it's just a story that's guided me through the days and 186 00:09:07,028 --> 00:09:07,571 it's taken me. 187 00:09:07,571 --> 00:09:08,881 Every day. 188 00:09:08,881 --> 00:09:11,461 I look back and I said, hey, here's where I came from, I 189 00:09:11,500 --> 00:09:13,427 can't forget it and I need to go back to it. 190 00:09:13,427 --> 00:09:18,184 And so it's hard right, but through the opportunity of 191 00:09:18,245 --> 00:09:22,965 joining our local FFA chapter, I was able to develop a deep 192 00:09:23,004 --> 00:09:24,910 respect for raising animals. 193 00:09:24,910 --> 00:09:29,027 I raised pigs and I raised goats, and so that helped me 194 00:09:29,749 --> 00:09:32,778 understand more of how cattle and how animals and how 195 00:09:32,839 --> 00:09:37,854 livestock and how things were being raised in this country and 196 00:09:37,854 --> 00:09:40,621 the importance of feeding the world and feeding everybody 197 00:09:40,682 --> 00:09:41,123 around you. 198 00:09:41,123 --> 00:09:46,913 And all of that led me to pursue an animal science career 199 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:51,028 and eventually I was able to pursue a master's in animal 200 00:09:51,067 --> 00:09:54,783 science with an emphasis in meat science, and a PhD at Colorado 201 00:09:54,803 --> 00:10:00,033 State University with meat science and ruminant nutrition 202 00:10:00,734 --> 00:10:01,075 focus. 203 00:10:02,279 --> 00:10:04,547 Speaker 1: And so it's just a little bit of everything, I 204 00:10:04,586 --> 00:10:04,807 guess. 205 00:10:05,008 --> 00:10:07,443 Speaker 3: I don't know if I cover most of most of the 206 00:10:07,484 --> 00:10:08,506 questions, but my life is. 207 00:10:08,506 --> 00:10:12,840 My journey has been long, from going to Lanier FFA and being 208 00:10:12,940 --> 00:10:16,828 part of the local chapter to joining the Corps of Cadets at 209 00:10:16,849 --> 00:10:21,285 Texas A&M and becoming the leader I was able to, to grow in 210 00:10:21,285 --> 00:10:23,993 there, and I think I went to one of your. 211 00:10:23,993 --> 00:10:27,400 One of our meetings was when I was already in the corps of 212 00:10:27,422 --> 00:10:27,743 cadets. 213 00:10:27,743 --> 00:10:30,953 Uh, when I, uh you, bought me my first plane ticket. 214 00:10:30,953 --> 00:10:33,481 I remember that and I flew from amarillo. 215 00:10:33,481 --> 00:10:36,990 I was there doing some dairy science education and I flew 216 00:10:37,029 --> 00:10:40,144 from amarillo to dallas and that was a, that was an experience. 217 00:10:40,144 --> 00:10:45,456 My first flight, um, we went to meet with one of the donors, la 218 00:10:45,456 --> 00:10:46,519 quinta, one of the sponsors. 219 00:10:46,519 --> 00:10:48,764 Remember that very, very vividly. 220 00:10:49,765 --> 00:10:53,273 And so from there, you know, you learn to lead, you learn to 221 00:10:53,312 --> 00:10:57,248 grow, you learn to succeed, and and then you rely on those 222 00:10:57,347 --> 00:11:00,061 friends that you have that open the doors for you and for 223 00:11:00,100 --> 00:11:00,522 guidance. 224 00:11:00,522 --> 00:11:03,009 And so I always called my my teacher. 225 00:11:03,009 --> 00:11:04,256 I always called those friends when I have questions of life am 226 00:11:04,256 --> 00:11:04,315 I doing this right? 227 00:11:04,315 --> 00:11:04,390 What would you do in my case? 228 00:11:04,390 --> 00:11:04,649 And so guidance. 229 00:11:04,649 --> 00:11:04,823 And so I always called my, my act, teacher. 230 00:11:04,823 --> 00:11:06,683 I always called those friends when I have questions of life. 231 00:11:06,683 --> 00:11:08,006 Am I doing this right? 232 00:11:08,006 --> 00:11:09,431 What would you do in my case? 233 00:11:09,431 --> 00:11:11,422 And so that's a little bit about my life. 234 00:11:13,365 --> 00:11:17,371 Speaker 2: Well, it's an incredible story and I don't 235 00:11:17,432 --> 00:11:21,404 know, can I, can I throw some other details in there, because 236 00:11:22,186 --> 00:11:25,471 I really admire you know, everybody's got a story, by the 237 00:11:25,511 --> 00:11:30,125 way Archimedes everybody and not everybody shares their story. 238 00:11:31,147 --> 00:11:34,880 And what they don't understand is that God gives us our story 239 00:11:35,682 --> 00:11:39,971 because God knows there's going to be somebody just like us that 240 00:11:39,971 --> 00:11:44,366 needs to hear that story and we never know when that's going to 241 00:11:44,366 --> 00:11:44,748 happen. 242 00:11:44,748 --> 00:11:49,528 But I understand that when you first came here, that as you 243 00:11:49,789 --> 00:11:52,880 started in elementary and middle school, that you struggled with 244 00:11:52,880 --> 00:11:59,355 the dialect of English and maybe didn't get the full 245 00:11:59,414 --> 00:12:04,306 attention of teachers that maybe you could have used, but you 246 00:12:04,346 --> 00:12:07,480 didn't slow down, you just persevered right through that. 247 00:12:07,480 --> 00:12:11,971 And because you persevered through it they ultimately the 248 00:12:12,010 --> 00:12:15,543 teacher said hey, y'all really need to take note of this young 249 00:12:15,583 --> 00:12:15,844 man. 250 00:12:15,844 --> 00:12:20,860 And even at that moment they couldn't quite fully grasp just 251 00:12:20,900 --> 00:12:26,451 how talented you were, not only academically but how driven you 252 00:12:26,532 --> 00:12:27,714 were to succeed. 253 00:12:27,714 --> 00:12:34,116 And I understand that there was a very pivotal point when you 254 00:12:34,177 --> 00:12:39,248 entered high school where you could have very easily chosen to 255 00:12:39,248 --> 00:12:40,291 drop out of school. 256 00:12:41,533 --> 00:12:42,073 Speaker 3: But it was that. 257 00:12:42,682 --> 00:12:42,923 Speaker 2: Sure. 258 00:12:43,827 --> 00:12:45,515 Speaker 3: It was one of those moments I remember. 259 00:12:45,515 --> 00:12:48,404 You know, like I mentioned before, I come still consider 260 00:12:48,424 --> 00:12:51,291 myself, you know, middle-class, right? 261 00:12:51,291 --> 00:12:54,804 So I grew up in a very poor family and work. 262 00:12:54,804 --> 00:12:57,912 We needed to work to make ends meet, and so I was part of the 263 00:12:57,932 --> 00:13:00,683 working force in my household and I remember working and 264 00:13:00,804 --> 00:13:02,126 realizing hey, I'm making money. 265 00:13:02,126 --> 00:13:05,299 If I quit school and I work an extra eight hours a day, I'm 266 00:13:05,320 --> 00:13:06,504 going to make this much more money. 267 00:13:06,504 --> 00:13:08,568 My mom doesn't have to have a second job. 268 00:13:08,568 --> 00:13:11,725 Maybe if I work an extra eight hours a week, my dad doesn't 269 00:13:11,745 --> 00:13:12,749 have to have a second job. 270 00:13:12,749 --> 00:13:15,885 And so it's always a thought and question in my head Can I do 271 00:13:15,885 --> 00:13:18,371 more so my parents do less, Because they're getting old? 272 00:13:18,371 --> 00:13:19,519 It's my time to provide. 273 00:13:20,841 --> 00:13:23,682 And it came to that moment where I thought about dropping out. 274 00:13:23,682 --> 00:13:26,344 And it came to that moment where I thought about dropping 275 00:13:26,364 --> 00:13:26,423 out. 276 00:13:26,423 --> 00:13:29,345 And again, Mr Cortez was so pivotal in that moment where he 277 00:13:29,384 --> 00:13:33,606 basically promised me a little bit of income if I were to stay 278 00:13:33,647 --> 00:13:34,447 for six weeks. 279 00:13:34,447 --> 00:13:37,729 And I remember that very vividly and that led me to 280 00:13:38,109 --> 00:13:42,610 racing my first goat, going to the county fair and making a 281 00:13:42,650 --> 00:13:43,351 little bit of money. 282 00:13:43,351 --> 00:13:47,113 And then my life changed, and if it wasn't for that, I 283 00:13:47,153 --> 00:13:51,634 probably would still be working at the same job that I was 284 00:13:51,654 --> 00:13:54,576 working in high school, because that's all I knew what to do and 285 00:13:54,576 --> 00:13:54,937 so. 286 00:13:54,937 --> 00:13:57,898 But no, it was definitely an experience. 287 00:14:04,340 --> 00:14:05,748 Speaker 2: So I come into this story and I find this young man 288 00:14:05,788 --> 00:14:06,995 and he becomes a foundation ambassador and, as you've 289 00:14:07,015 --> 00:14:09,524 already heard, he's a workhorse and he got in there and he 290 00:14:09,565 --> 00:14:12,292 worked with our sponsors and he did an incredible job. 291 00:14:12,292 --> 00:14:17,126 And then the thing that I'll never forget, archimedes, I'll 292 00:14:17,147 --> 00:14:20,951 never forget it is I remember I was at the Bob Bullock History 293 00:14:21,011 --> 00:14:25,926 Museum down by the state capitol and they were doing the Rodeo 294 00:14:26,106 --> 00:14:30,407 Austin Scholarship Awards and I'm sitting over here and I'm 295 00:14:30,466 --> 00:14:33,287 watching all this because we had a bunch of FFA kids getting 296 00:14:33,326 --> 00:14:38,971 scholarships and all of a sudden they put the microphone up to 297 00:14:39,010 --> 00:14:43,048 the sky and the words I'll never forget. 298 00:14:43,048 --> 00:14:44,985 I never forgot it, archimedes. 299 00:14:44,985 --> 00:14:47,150 He said my name is Archimedes Reyes. 300 00:14:47,150 --> 00:14:54,624 I'm graduating valedictorian of my class, I'm going to go to 301 00:14:54,644 --> 00:14:56,087 Texas A&M, I'll be in the Corps Cadet and I'm going to become an 302 00:14:56,087 --> 00:14:59,860 ag teacher and keep kids in school, just like me just like 303 00:14:59,880 --> 00:15:05,450 my ag teacher did and I never forgot that I was so inspired. 304 00:15:06,291 --> 00:15:09,642 And then, when we were working with La Quinta, which is one of 305 00:15:09,701 --> 00:15:13,029 our major corporate sponsors, we were having a host committee 306 00:15:13,070 --> 00:15:17,051 meeting in Dallas and I knew our committed story and I'm like 307 00:15:17,493 --> 00:15:19,200 our committee is, I got to have you come to Dallas. 308 00:15:19,200 --> 00:15:23,749 I want you to tell that story and that's another life moment 309 00:15:23,769 --> 00:15:24,811 that I'll never forget. 310 00:15:24,811 --> 00:15:31,520 And I remember asking you how was your flight? 311 00:15:31,520 --> 00:15:32,643 And you said it was really good and you go. 312 00:15:32,663 --> 00:15:34,184 That's the first time I ever flown on a plane and I just 313 00:15:34,245 --> 00:15:39,293 thought how proud I was to know this man, that I got a front row 314 00:15:39,293 --> 00:15:40,942 seat to his journey. 315 00:15:40,942 --> 00:15:45,052 And now, as you've heard, his journey has taken him through 316 00:15:45,072 --> 00:15:49,349 the ranks of college academics to now he's an associate 317 00:15:49,408 --> 00:15:53,063 professor of animal science there in the University of 318 00:15:53,104 --> 00:15:54,506 Wisconsin at River Falls. 319 00:15:54,506 --> 00:16:01,046 And now you get to pour into the minds of young people and 320 00:16:01,105 --> 00:16:05,693 hopefully become a Tracy Cortez, maybe at a different level. 321 00:16:06,860 --> 00:16:07,162 Speaker 3: That's right. 322 00:16:07,162 --> 00:16:10,688 Yes, sir, I'd like to be a mentor like Mr Cortez. 323 00:16:10,688 --> 00:16:17,424 Tracy has been man pivotal in my life, right, and it's just I 324 00:16:17,466 --> 00:16:20,767 kind of find him as a second parent, to the point like he was 325 00:16:20,767 --> 00:16:21,269 in my wedding. 326 00:16:22,120 --> 00:16:23,386 So he was part of my wedding. 327 00:16:23,386 --> 00:16:27,730 I felt like I needed a person that I felt like family and a 328 00:16:27,809 --> 00:16:30,405 friend that I could call on, and so I said, hey, I'm going to 329 00:16:30,446 --> 00:16:30,726 call him. 330 00:16:30,726 --> 00:16:33,229 I wonder if he's willing to be in my wedding. 331 00:16:33,229 --> 00:16:34,763 And he decided to do it, so that was. 332 00:16:34,763 --> 00:16:36,820 I was so thankful for the opportunity. 333 00:16:36,980 --> 00:16:42,991 But, you know, as a student and as a person in life, you need to 334 00:16:42,991 --> 00:16:44,413 find those mentors that stretch you. 335 00:16:44,413 --> 00:16:48,325 Student and as a person in life , you need to find those mentors 336 00:16:48,325 --> 00:16:49,989 that stretch you right, those mentors that that push you 337 00:16:50,009 --> 00:16:51,933 through the failures, those mentors that assist you getting 338 00:16:51,974 --> 00:16:57,053 out of those failures and help you shape who you are, those 339 00:16:57,434 --> 00:17:00,442 mentors that put you in leadership positions and those 340 00:17:00,481 --> 00:17:04,108 people that help you become a leader and help you become a 341 00:17:04,148 --> 00:17:07,755 better communicator through the industry or to the individuals. 342 00:17:07,755 --> 00:17:10,306 And so just find them. 343 00:17:10,306 --> 00:17:13,406 They're out there and my goal is to be one of them. 344 00:17:13,406 --> 00:17:16,601 Tracy was for me and I want to be for somebody else, and I hope 345 00:17:16,601 --> 00:17:19,785 that someday, like you mentioned before, someday we 346 00:17:19,825 --> 00:17:26,714 have a person going through a podcast and saying our comedians 347 00:17:26,714 --> 00:17:30,146 did this for me, and so I wish somebody could say that for me 348 00:17:30,207 --> 00:17:33,886 at some point in life and that will be the dream right they 349 00:17:33,906 --> 00:17:34,127 will. 350 00:17:34,750 --> 00:17:35,050 Speaker 2: They will. 351 00:17:35,050 --> 00:17:36,280 Yes, sir, you know. 352 00:17:36,280 --> 00:17:41,270 One of the other things that you and I have in common is that 353 00:17:41,270 --> 00:17:42,394 FFA jacket, Right? 354 00:17:42,394 --> 00:17:46,364 Yes, sir, you know I tell people that that jacket was a 355 00:17:46,404 --> 00:17:50,541 game changer, Because when I put my jacket on and I zipped it up 356 00:17:50,541 --> 00:17:52,727 , you know you didn't know that I came from a broken home. 357 00:17:52,727 --> 00:17:55,077 You didn't know that we were getting our dinner out of a 358 00:17:55,118 --> 00:18:01,509 garbage can or that I had a 14 on my ACT or $25 in my checking 359 00:18:01,528 --> 00:18:01,869 account. 360 00:18:01,869 --> 00:18:04,623 I look just like everybody else . 361 00:18:04,623 --> 00:18:08,565 That meant that I had the same opportunities as everybody else 362 00:18:09,394 --> 00:18:12,122 and I took advantage of those opportunities and ended up at 363 00:18:12,623 --> 00:18:16,760 Texas Tech University on five scholarships and my education 364 00:18:16,820 --> 00:18:19,406 was paid for all because of that blue and gold jacket. 365 00:18:19,406 --> 00:18:22,842 I believe that jacket levels the playing field. 366 00:18:22,842 --> 00:18:25,047 You know, I like to tell people . 367 00:18:25,047 --> 00:18:27,778 The jacket says come here, let me just give you a hug and 368 00:18:27,818 --> 00:18:30,785 here's an opportunity, and so the jacket. 369 00:18:30,944 --> 00:18:31,365 It does. 370 00:18:31,365 --> 00:18:34,358 It gives us a hug and it says here's an opportunity. 371 00:18:34,358 --> 00:18:36,644 Now you know, one of the things , archimedes, that we got to 372 00:18:36,684 --> 00:18:40,521 tell young people is adults, our job is to create opportunities. 373 00:18:40,521 --> 00:18:44,328 Young people, your job is to determine the outcome. 374 00:18:44,328 --> 00:18:45,876 That's correct. 375 00:18:45,876 --> 00:18:50,921 Archimedes wasn't entitled to anything, but he took advantage 376 00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:53,126 of the opportunities that he had . 377 00:18:53,126 --> 00:18:55,904 And look at what he's accomplished. 378 00:18:55,904 --> 00:18:58,957 But, archimedes, go back in time and tell me because I think 379 00:18:58,957 --> 00:19:02,721 there's a very interesting story around how you earned your 380 00:19:02,721 --> 00:19:03,865 FFA jacket. 381 00:19:05,694 --> 00:19:08,260 Speaker 3: Yeah, I guess you know it's been a while. 382 00:19:08,260 --> 00:19:12,797 I guess my biggest takeaway from that jacket is that the 383 00:19:12,876 --> 00:19:16,564 Alumni Association of our local FFA chapter. 384 00:19:16,564 --> 00:19:22,961 They used to do a scholarship and you had to work, you had to 385 00:19:23,001 --> 00:19:25,734 do little things here, there and then eventually you apply and 386 00:19:25,755 --> 00:19:28,304 you were able to gain enough points. 387 00:19:28,304 --> 00:19:31,622 And I remember getting my jacket and I don't know if mr 388 00:19:31,663 --> 00:19:34,375 cortez or was the alumni that paid for it, I can't remember 389 00:19:34,435 --> 00:19:39,066 exactly, but I remember wearing the jacket home and my dad 390 00:19:39,086 --> 00:19:45,421 thought I had stole it and, um, he told me to return it it and I 391 00:19:45,421 --> 00:19:50,047 was just mind-blowing and I couldn't remember at the time 392 00:19:50,386 --> 00:19:51,067 what did I tell him? 393 00:19:51,067 --> 00:19:53,530 But I just was like this is mine, he has my name on it, it's 394 00:19:53,530 --> 00:19:57,664 embroidered, it's me, I promise they gave it to me and he 395 00:19:57,684 --> 00:19:58,145 couldn't believe me. 396 00:19:58,145 --> 00:20:00,878 He said we don't take anything, give it back. 397 00:20:00,878 --> 00:20:03,163 And I did it and I wore it with . 398 00:20:03,163 --> 00:20:06,836 Eventually he understood that that was me and I think I wore 399 00:20:06,877 --> 00:20:10,999 that jacket the full semester and I never took it off. 400 00:20:11,259 --> 00:20:13,817 Speaker 2: Maybe it should have been washed Now, archibald if I 401 00:20:13,877 --> 00:20:18,528 recall, if I recall because of that moment in time with your 402 00:20:18,607 --> 00:20:22,285 family, that you actually used that to bring them to an FFA 403 00:20:22,305 --> 00:20:22,625 meeting. 404 00:20:23,476 --> 00:20:25,269 Speaker 3: I did yes because they wanted me to return it. 405 00:20:25,570 --> 00:20:28,220 Speaker 2: Yes, that's right, and they got to see that you 406 00:20:28,380 --> 00:20:30,785 earned it and what you were a part of. 407 00:20:30,785 --> 00:20:31,907 That's right. 408 00:20:31,928 --> 00:20:34,221 Speaker 3: Yes, sir, yeah, they got to see me. 409 00:20:34,221 --> 00:20:38,517 I remember I was, we went to the meeting, we got to sit 410 00:20:38,537 --> 00:20:41,906 around and they were like what are you guys doing? 411 00:20:41,906 --> 00:20:45,000 And so you know they were lost right, they didn't understand it 412 00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:45,000 . 413 00:20:45,060 --> 00:20:47,125 It was a little bit of a language barrier, so that was a 414 00:20:47,145 --> 00:20:48,367 little translating here and there. 415 00:20:48,367 --> 00:20:54,922 And then through that process of then seeing us speak in front 416 00:20:54,922 --> 00:20:56,229 of the group and kind of lead the group into the meeting and 417 00:20:56,249 --> 00:20:59,141 just have discussion boards and figure it out, plan ahead, what 418 00:20:59,181 --> 00:21:03,875 we were going to do for the next , between the next meeting, my 419 00:21:03,896 --> 00:21:07,258 dad realized that and my mom realized that that the 420 00:21:07,357 --> 00:21:09,505 organization was actually making me a better person. 421 00:21:09,505 --> 00:21:12,823 And then they stopped pestering me about it and they supported 422 00:21:12,843 --> 00:21:16,301 me ever since, because after that they were like do you want 423 00:21:16,321 --> 00:21:16,883 to get chickens? 424 00:21:17,203 --> 00:21:19,257 Speaker 1: We'll help you with the chickens, and so I got 425 00:21:19,297 --> 00:21:21,223 chickens so I could show up poultry in a fair. 426 00:21:22,056 --> 00:21:24,263 Speaker 3: It didn't go very well, but we tried. 427 00:21:25,355 --> 00:21:26,922 Speaker 2: Well, that's why you're working with beef now. 428 00:21:26,922 --> 00:21:28,118 That's right. 429 00:21:28,082 --> 00:21:28,945 Speaker 3: Yes, that's why you're working with beef now. 430 00:21:28,945 --> 00:21:29,112 That's right. 431 00:21:29,112 --> 00:21:29,382 Yes, that's right. 432 00:21:29,382 --> 00:21:31,055 That's why I switched. 433 00:21:31,075 --> 00:21:34,663 Speaker 2: Yeah, there's a lot of stories archimedes. 434 00:21:34,663 --> 00:21:39,978 I've been very fortunate to hear a lot of incredible stories 435 00:21:39,978 --> 00:21:44,086 and, uh, I just want you to know that I think yours is one 436 00:21:44,106 --> 00:21:48,984 of my top three oh, thank you, it means a lot, it's, it's a lot 437 00:21:48,984 --> 00:21:48,984 . 438 00:21:49,205 --> 00:21:53,323 It's inspiring and I think the thing that I appreciate about 439 00:21:53,363 --> 00:21:58,064 your story is that nowhere along the way in your story have I 440 00:21:58,144 --> 00:22:00,449 ever sensed anything other than gratitude. 441 00:22:00,449 --> 00:22:05,179 From the very beginning, from the very first time I've met you 442 00:22:05,179 --> 00:22:08,403 , I've just never sensed anything other than gratitude. 443 00:22:08,403 --> 00:22:12,709 You were grateful for an opportunity, you were grateful 444 00:22:12,769 --> 00:22:14,375 for a chance to connect with people. 445 00:22:14,375 --> 00:22:21,048 You were grateful for a chance to excel academically, to excel 446 00:22:21,087 --> 00:22:23,676 with hard work, with work ethic. 447 00:22:24,378 --> 00:22:28,045 Speaker 3: I mean, I just appreciate so much that, like I 448 00:22:28,086 --> 00:22:32,118 said, your journey is just checkered with gratefulness and 449 00:22:32,679 --> 00:22:38,569 it shows I like to tell people that my journey is full of doors 450 00:22:38,569 --> 00:22:43,625 and the doors are there for me to learn how to turn that knob 451 00:22:43,705 --> 00:22:46,877 and open them up and to experience to see what's on the 452 00:22:46,917 --> 00:22:47,739 other side of the room. 453 00:22:47,739 --> 00:22:51,826 And if I don't feel like I don't, I'm not going to make a 454 00:22:51,846 --> 00:22:54,777 change, then there's another door where I can make a change 455 00:22:54,856 --> 00:22:58,305 and hopefully somebody's going to benefit from that change. 456 00:22:59,606 --> 00:23:00,616 Speaker 2: Let's talk about doors. 457 00:23:00,616 --> 00:23:04,465 Yes, sir, I gotta believe that maybe when you were at colorado 458 00:23:04,506 --> 00:23:06,578 state you might have run into some lady out there. 459 00:23:06,578 --> 00:23:07,000 She's got. 460 00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:11,361 She's known for talking about doors too, dr Temple Grandin. 461 00:23:13,875 --> 00:23:16,375 Speaker 3: Well, I could talk to you a little bit about that and 462 00:23:16,375 --> 00:23:18,884 I think that you're going to find that story a little 463 00:23:18,923 --> 00:23:19,365 interesting. 464 00:23:19,365 --> 00:23:23,203 Thanks to Dr Grandin, I was able to meet my wife. 465 00:23:23,203 --> 00:23:27,965 So Dr Grandin gave my wife an opportunity to pursue her 466 00:23:28,006 --> 00:23:34,085 master's at Colorado State University and her office, or 467 00:23:34,105 --> 00:23:37,573 the office for her students, was a little full and she took an 468 00:23:37,634 --> 00:23:40,525 extra student and she probably would have, just because of the 469 00:23:40,585 --> 00:23:43,655 time and commitment that he takes to mentor a grad student 470 00:23:44,557 --> 00:23:47,502 and she said, hey, I'm going to put them in your office. 471 00:23:47,502 --> 00:23:51,856 So she I remember that she brought my wife, sat her next to 472 00:23:51,856 --> 00:23:56,067 me and that was her office, with her little cubicle space 473 00:23:56,086 --> 00:23:58,701 right next to me, and then we kind of didn't get along for a 474 00:23:58,740 --> 00:24:01,778 minute and then eventually we realized that we needed to help 475 00:24:01,798 --> 00:24:05,498 each other out because we were all in the same struggle and one 476 00:24:05,498 --> 00:24:09,547 thing led to the other and we ended up becoming, uh, you know, 477 00:24:09,547 --> 00:24:12,925 a couple and now we're married, have a beautiful two and a half 478 00:24:12,925 --> 00:24:13,890 month old daughter. 479 00:24:13,890 --> 00:24:15,435 So we're pretty excited about that. 480 00:24:16,817 --> 00:24:21,205 And dr grandin has definitely been a friend of ours, um, 481 00:24:21,586 --> 00:24:22,167 through the years. 482 00:24:22,167 --> 00:24:25,740 I know that we can call her anytime and, uh, she'll talk to 483 00:24:25,840 --> 00:24:30,499 us, mentor us and guide us and things, and so she talks about 484 00:24:30,538 --> 00:24:34,377 opportunities that every time I've heard her speak I've heard. 485 00:24:34,377 --> 00:24:36,163 The first time I heard her speak was at Texas A&M. 486 00:24:36,163 --> 00:24:39,983 She came in and I went to visit her with her and I went to 487 00:24:40,003 --> 00:24:43,375 shake her hand and be like, thanks for the great speech and 488 00:24:43,415 --> 00:24:45,441 it was so nice to meet you. 489 00:24:45,441 --> 00:24:46,364 You know, finally meet you. 490 00:24:46,364 --> 00:24:48,997 You hear all those things, you watch the movie, but so nice to 491 00:24:48,931 --> 00:24:49,356 meet you, you know, finally meet you. 492 00:24:49,356 --> 00:24:50,170 You hear all those things, you watch the movie, but so finally 493 00:24:50,104 --> 00:24:50,342 nice to shake your hand. 494 00:24:50,342 --> 00:24:51,820 And she's a human just like you and I. 495 00:24:51,820 --> 00:24:54,743 So if you ever see her in person, go shake her hand, tell 496 00:24:54,763 --> 00:24:55,164 her thank you. 497 00:24:55,164 --> 00:25:00,977 She opens up to you and she's just an awesome person and we 498 00:25:00,997 --> 00:25:04,285 talked for a few minutes and then she's like hey, thanks for 499 00:25:04,305 --> 00:25:05,647 coming up, thanks for reaching out. 500 00:25:09,855 --> 00:25:11,063 It's hey, thanks for coming up, thanks for reaching out, it's 501 00:25:11,083 --> 00:25:12,329 been great you have a you have a keen eye for animals, she said, 502 00:25:12,329 --> 00:25:13,214 and one day you're going to be successful. 503 00:25:16,279 --> 00:25:18,423 I took that very, very wow. 504 00:25:18,423 --> 00:25:22,411 It was just kind of like yeah, I know who are you, how can you 505 00:25:22,451 --> 00:25:23,757 tell that I'm going to be this person? 506 00:25:23,757 --> 00:25:26,540 But I was like you know what, maybe it's just her encouraging 507 00:25:26,560 --> 00:25:30,126 me to be a better person, and so that encouragement led me to 508 00:25:31,429 --> 00:25:34,575 pursuing this career, and so when I met her again when I 509 00:25:34,595 --> 00:25:38,207 started my PhD, I told her about that and she's like yep, I 510 00:25:38,247 --> 00:25:41,175 remember you were wearing a corkadette's uniform and I said 511 00:25:41,256 --> 00:25:41,936 yes, I was. 512 00:25:41,936 --> 00:25:43,400 How do you remember this? 513 00:25:43,400 --> 00:25:45,363 But then I learned that she remembers everything. 514 00:25:45,363 --> 00:25:46,566 Oh, yeah she. 515 00:25:47,307 --> 00:25:48,449 Speaker 2: Lord we uh. 516 00:25:48,449 --> 00:25:51,844 And then you know we had her on the podcast. 517 00:25:51,844 --> 00:25:55,714 Yeah, she's been on the podcast and a good friend of mine is 518 00:25:55,816 --> 00:26:01,729 also a good friend of hers, dr Kevin Pond uh WT and I can tell 519 00:26:01,749 --> 00:26:02,029 you what. 520 00:26:02,590 --> 00:26:04,278 Speaker 3: You mentioned one person there, kevin Pond. 521 00:26:04,278 --> 00:26:08,571 He's been uh, he's been a friend of mine probably since I 522 00:26:08,592 --> 00:26:10,979 started Colorado State University and you can ask him 523 00:26:11,019 --> 00:26:11,420 about me. 524 00:26:11,420 --> 00:26:13,384 I remember this. 525 00:26:13,384 --> 00:26:17,520 It was during the time that his parents were I just passed, I 526 00:26:17,540 --> 00:26:20,928 think his mom passed and then his dad passed a few days right 527 00:26:21,055 --> 00:26:22,336 after, so it was pretty close. 528 00:26:22,336 --> 00:26:26,884 And he had a little farm in Fort Collins, colorado, that 529 00:26:26,924 --> 00:26:29,789 needed some help picking up hay and doing other things. 530 00:26:31,097 --> 00:26:34,498 And we were at a reciprocal meat conference and somebody said, 531 00:26:34,577 --> 00:26:36,986 hey, dr Paul needs help, who's willing? 532 00:26:36,986 --> 00:26:39,636 And I said I'll leave early, I'll go help and I'll take care 533 00:26:39,656 --> 00:26:40,239 of the animals. 534 00:26:40,239 --> 00:26:43,941 We picked up the hay and I noticed the farm needed some 535 00:26:44,021 --> 00:26:45,506 upkeep, some maintenance. 536 00:26:45,506 --> 00:26:50,439 And I went up to him when he came back from, you know, doing 537 00:26:50,459 --> 00:26:52,924 his family trips because of his parents, and I said, hey, your 538 00:26:52,964 --> 00:26:55,377 farm needs help, I want to take care of it. 539 00:26:55,377 --> 00:26:59,305 Would you trade me housing for work? 540 00:26:59,305 --> 00:27:01,929 And he says I can do that. 541 00:27:01,929 --> 00:27:05,801 I have a small apartment in the barn, we can set it up. 542 00:27:05,801 --> 00:27:08,307 And I moved in and I was. 543 00:27:08,307 --> 00:27:12,319 I took care of his, I fed his cattle, took care of the yard, 544 00:27:13,663 --> 00:27:14,986 ended up with my. 545 00:27:14,986 --> 00:27:17,599 With the help of my dad, we remodeled some bathrooms in his 546 00:27:17,660 --> 00:27:21,016 house, just because I was trying to help my dad, you know, get 547 00:27:21,296 --> 00:27:22,920 jobs here or there when he came and visit. 548 00:27:22,920 --> 00:27:25,605 And so so we are. 549 00:27:25,605 --> 00:27:27,337 We have been really good friends ever since. 550 00:27:28,079 --> 00:27:29,183 Speaker 2: What a a small world, isn't it? 551 00:27:29,183 --> 00:27:34,564 Yeah, he and janice are friends of ours, his son, anson um, 552 00:27:34,664 --> 00:27:37,388 who's now working with uh pilgrims. 553 00:27:37,388 --> 00:27:41,784 They're now one of our new corporate sponsors and I don't 554 00:27:41,824 --> 00:27:44,817 know if you recall or not, but when we did the first million 555 00:27:44,856 --> 00:27:48,243 dollar gift with ford Company, ford made a television 556 00:27:48,304 --> 00:27:52,298 commercial that had two FFA kids in it and that one of those FFA 557 00:27:52,298 --> 00:27:53,602 kids was Anson Pond. 558 00:27:53,602 --> 00:27:55,226 I did not know that. 559 00:27:55,226 --> 00:27:58,917 Yeah, it's amazing how, but you know, when you were talking 560 00:27:58,958 --> 00:28:03,779 about doors, you know Dr Grandin and I had this conversation, 561 00:28:03,901 --> 00:28:09,837 and you know Dr Pond and I've had this conversation. 562 00:28:09,877 --> 00:28:12,323 And another good friend of ours is Gordon Davis, as you probably 563 00:28:12,323 --> 00:28:16,016 know, gw, and anyway, you know, when my oldest son was in fifth 564 00:28:16,016 --> 00:28:19,983 grade, fourth grade, fifth grade, somewhere in there, it 565 00:28:20,023 --> 00:28:22,128 was bring your dad to school day . 566 00:28:22,128 --> 00:28:23,598 You know what does your dad do? 567 00:28:23,598 --> 00:28:27,531 And I'm thinking how am I going to explain to fourth graders 568 00:28:27,592 --> 00:28:31,621 and fifth graders what a development officer is? 569 00:28:31,621 --> 00:28:35,387 You know, how do I explain to them that I'm a professional 570 00:28:35,468 --> 00:28:40,282 beggar, that you know I go ask for money and support, and you 571 00:28:40,323 --> 00:28:41,164 know all this stuff. 572 00:28:41,164 --> 00:28:44,720 And so what I did was I went into the classroom and I went up 573 00:28:44,720 --> 00:28:47,675 to the whiteboard and on the whiteboard I drew a little bitty 574 00:28:47,675 --> 00:28:49,780 door and I asked the kids. 575 00:28:49,780 --> 00:28:51,625 I said how many of you could get through that door? 576 00:28:51,625 --> 00:28:53,215 And they said no, sir. 577 00:28:53,215 --> 00:28:57,732 And then I drew a really big door and I said now how many of 578 00:28:57,752 --> 00:28:58,895 y'all could get through that door? 579 00:28:58,895 --> 00:28:59,718 And they said yes, sir. 580 00:28:59,718 --> 00:29:02,584 I said that's what I do I make doors bigger. 581 00:29:02,584 --> 00:29:04,568 That's awesome. 582 00:29:04,568 --> 00:29:09,578 I want more kids to have opportunities, I want more 583 00:29:09,598 --> 00:29:11,223 teachers to have opportunities and so, archimedes, when I hear 584 00:29:11,263 --> 00:29:14,674 your story, you understand now why it makes me so proud. 585 00:29:14,674 --> 00:29:19,003 It makes me proud to see a student of ffa, through the 586 00:29:19,044 --> 00:29:25,582 support of a teacher and mentors , accomplish so much in life, to 587 00:29:25,582 --> 00:29:29,509 be grateful for the opportunity and then to capitalize on the 588 00:29:30,317 --> 00:29:32,781 opportunity and have these incredible outcomes. 589 00:29:32,781 --> 00:29:37,416 And I just want you to know your stories and, like I said, 590 00:29:37,576 --> 00:29:41,006 it's probably one of my more inspiring stories that I like to 591 00:29:41,006 --> 00:29:41,788 share with people. 592 00:29:41,788 --> 00:29:44,540 And I've told your story about the plane ride many times. 593 00:29:44,540 --> 00:29:51,496 I've told the story about that FFA jacket many times, and so 594 00:29:51,536 --> 00:29:56,866 just know that there's always somebody watching and there's a 595 00:29:56,906 --> 00:30:00,119 lot of people that are very grateful for the success that 596 00:30:00,140 --> 00:30:00,580 you've had. 597 00:30:00,580 --> 00:30:05,796 I know Tracy and his wife are, I guarantee you and so many 598 00:30:05,855 --> 00:30:06,057 others. 599 00:30:06,057 --> 00:30:08,461 So let's try to pour some of that into everybody else. 600 00:30:08,560 --> 00:30:12,387 So I like to ask the kids I don't know about Wisconsin, I'll 601 00:30:12,387 --> 00:30:13,309 just tell you about Texas. 602 00:30:13,309 --> 00:30:14,737 I asked the kids. 603 00:30:14,737 --> 00:30:16,701 I said, how many high schools are in Texas? 604 00:30:16,701 --> 00:30:18,586 They'll say a lot. 605 00:30:18,586 --> 00:30:21,219 I say, yeah, there's a lot. 606 00:30:21,219 --> 00:30:24,184 There's over 3,000 high schools in the state of Texas. 607 00:30:24,184 --> 00:30:30,396 I said now, think about that 3,000 high schools. 608 00:30:30,396 --> 00:30:33,483 How many of those 3,000 are going to have a graduating class 609 00:30:33,483 --> 00:30:34,185 this year? 610 00:30:34,185 --> 00:30:34,606 Every one of them. 611 00:30:34,606 --> 00:30:35,228 Think about that. 612 00:30:35,228 --> 00:30:37,640 They're all going to be getting out, all your college kids, by 613 00:30:37,660 --> 00:30:37,840 the way. 614 00:30:37,840 --> 00:30:38,301 Guess what. 615 00:30:38,301 --> 00:30:40,979 Every university, every college that has a graduating class. 616 00:30:40,979 --> 00:30:41,460 Guess what. 617 00:30:41,460 --> 00:30:44,997 Everybody's going to be out looking for a job, a scholarship 618 00:30:44,997 --> 00:30:47,442 or an opportunity, everybody. 619 00:30:47,442 --> 00:30:51,499 So the question then becomes what's your competitive edge? 620 00:30:51,499 --> 00:30:55,009 What separates you from everybody else? 621 00:30:55,009 --> 00:30:59,441 Because if you're all going to be competing for attention, an 622 00:30:59,540 --> 00:31:02,248 opportunity, a scholarship, what's your competitive edge? 623 00:31:02,248 --> 00:31:06,816 And so, archimedes, when I look at your success, I would ask 624 00:31:06,855 --> 00:31:11,577 you this question If you could tell a high school kid here are 625 00:31:11,617 --> 00:31:15,778 three tips to be successful, what would you tell them? 626 00:31:17,962 --> 00:31:19,006 Speaker 3: You need to be adaptable. 627 00:31:19,006 --> 00:31:23,305 First and foremost, you need to be able to communicate what 628 00:31:23,345 --> 00:31:26,030 your needs are and how you think you're going to achieve those 629 00:31:26,070 --> 00:31:26,290 needs. 630 00:31:26,290 --> 00:31:27,693 You need to have integrity. 631 00:31:27,693 --> 00:31:30,146 To me, those are the three top things to have. 632 00:31:30,146 --> 00:31:33,869 Agriculture industry is changing so fast. 633 00:31:33,869 --> 00:31:37,589 Technology is making things move at the speed of life. 634 00:31:37,589 --> 00:31:41,686 We need to be sustainable because we're losing ground to 635 00:31:41,968 --> 00:31:42,788 urbanization. 636 00:31:44,532 --> 00:31:49,653 Global trade right is one of the economical how do I put this? 637 00:31:49,653 --> 00:31:52,582 But global trade is basically determining how much money we're 638 00:31:52,582 --> 00:31:56,750 going to make in our commodities, and so we need to 639 00:31:56,770 --> 00:31:57,653 be able to adapt. 640 00:31:57,653 --> 00:32:00,688 We need to be able to have confidence in our skills and our 641 00:32:00,688 --> 00:32:04,785 professionalism to be successful, and if we have those 642 00:32:04,785 --> 00:32:09,537 keys, key points, we're going to be able to stand out and have 643 00:32:09,537 --> 00:32:14,315 an edge, and so it's important for us to be able to do that 644 00:32:14,355 --> 00:32:14,556 right. 645 00:32:14,556 --> 00:32:16,601 Not just the technical knowledge, but also the 646 00:32:16,621 --> 00:32:19,467 communication, the problem solving and the leadership 647 00:32:19,507 --> 00:32:22,834 skills all those are critical components to be successful. 648 00:32:23,861 --> 00:32:27,404 And you know, I think as a teacher, I play a vital role in 649 00:32:27,464 --> 00:32:28,367 opening those doors. 650 00:32:28,367 --> 00:32:31,709 Again, I play a vital role in making those students adaptable, 651 00:32:31,709 --> 00:32:36,961 have communication skills, have the ability to lead, Because in 652 00:32:36,961 --> 00:32:41,462 my job I set them up for competitive judging teams, I 653 00:32:41,522 --> 00:32:44,520 make them go to competitions, I make them lead a group. 654 00:32:44,520 --> 00:32:47,930 Not just that, but I make them lead projects where they have to 655 00:32:47,930 --> 00:32:51,526 do speeches, they have to communicate, and my goal is to 656 00:32:51,566 --> 00:32:53,730 help them find their voice and their values. 657 00:32:53,730 --> 00:32:57,747 Mr Cortez helped me do that and I want to help that to my 658 00:32:57,807 --> 00:32:59,740 students, and if I can help them find their voice and their 659 00:32:59,760 --> 00:33:04,010 values, I think that those students are going to be 660 00:33:04,030 --> 00:33:04,491 successful. 661 00:33:05,901 --> 00:33:08,768 Speaker 2: Yeah, if you remember , go back to your days in the 662 00:33:08,827 --> 00:33:09,710 ambassador room. 663 00:33:09,710 --> 00:33:12,022 There were two quotes that we had all around the walls. 664 00:33:12,022 --> 00:33:16,313 One the essence of leadership is to plant trees under whose 665 00:33:16,353 --> 00:33:17,662 shade you may never sit. 666 00:33:17,662 --> 00:33:18,703 That's right. 667 00:33:18,703 --> 00:33:22,873 And number two when your values are clear, your choices are 668 00:33:22,952 --> 00:33:23,153 easy. 669 00:33:24,980 --> 00:33:27,886 Yes sir, listen to your story, your value system. 670 00:33:27,886 --> 00:33:30,921 Because of your value system, the choices that you've made in 671 00:33:30,961 --> 00:33:36,873 life have been very easy Taking care of your family, trying to 672 00:33:36,913 --> 00:33:41,045 help others, stand up and advocate for the work, for the 673 00:33:41,144 --> 00:33:41,586 industry. 674 00:33:41,586 --> 00:33:46,262 Um yeah, and when you talked about changes in agriculture, 675 00:33:46,282 --> 00:33:50,051 you know I've got a presentation that I give called ai cubed, 676 00:33:51,663 --> 00:33:54,829 and the reason I did it was because, you know, depending on 677 00:33:54,849 --> 00:33:58,262 who you talk to, if you come from our world and we say ai, we 678 00:33:58,262 --> 00:34:00,146 think of artificial insemination. 679 00:34:00,146 --> 00:34:03,602 If you come outside of our world, you say AI, you think of 680 00:34:03,682 --> 00:34:04,866 artificial intelligence. 681 00:34:04,866 --> 00:34:07,807 But I guarantee you there's one thing that we all have in 682 00:34:07,847 --> 00:34:11,067 common and that's that we need more agricultural information. 683 00:34:11,067 --> 00:34:12,690 That is true. 684 00:34:14,065 --> 00:34:18,164 Because you know it's people that don't understand the scope 685 00:34:18,204 --> 00:34:19,027 of our food supply. 686 00:34:19,027 --> 00:34:23,070 They don't understand the international trade components. 687 00:34:23,070 --> 00:34:26,693 They don't understand just even the regulations here in our own 688 00:34:26,693 --> 00:34:27,114 country. 689 00:34:27,114 --> 00:34:31,248 They don't understand the economics of thin margins that 690 00:34:31,309 --> 00:34:32,673 farmers and ranchers live by. 691 00:34:32,673 --> 00:34:35,202 You know, I tell people farmers and ranchers are some of the 692 00:34:35,222 --> 00:34:39,592 smartest people I know, because no one knows how to stretch 693 00:34:39,652 --> 00:34:43,106 their margins and gain margins better than people that are 694 00:34:43,166 --> 00:34:46,014 actually there farming and production agriculture. 695 00:34:46,014 --> 00:34:50,739 So there's a lot of real wisdom in what you just said and, 696 00:34:51,282 --> 00:34:53,666 should it be another podcast, we could probably have a whole 697 00:34:53,686 --> 00:34:56,813 discussion just on that topic alone. 698 00:34:57,400 --> 00:34:59,867 Speaker 3: Every time I talk about how I met you and the 699 00:34:59,927 --> 00:35:01,931 stories that I have learned going through the years. 700 00:35:01,931 --> 00:35:04,786 I'll always talk about the flight that you purchased for me 701 00:35:04,786 --> 00:35:07,092 , that I flew to Dallas and I talked about that. 702 00:35:07,092 --> 00:35:10,971 And there's only so much we can do as educators. 703 00:35:10,971 --> 00:35:13,467 There's only so many opportunities we can offer. 704 00:35:13,467 --> 00:35:16,121 And to me, I look at, you talked about you being a 705 00:35:16,141 --> 00:35:17,402 professional beggar right just a little while ago. 706 00:35:17,402 --> 00:35:20,264 You talked about you being a professional beggar right just a 707 00:35:20,264 --> 00:35:23,485 little while ago, and that made me think of something that 708 00:35:24,686 --> 00:35:26,548 because of people like you, we have sponsors. 709 00:35:26,809 --> 00:35:29,630 Because of people like you, we have people that donate to the 710 00:35:29,650 --> 00:35:31,512 growth and success of the youth. 711 00:35:31,512 --> 00:35:35,554 There are people that do scholarships, individuals that 712 00:35:35,675 --> 00:35:38,436 open up those doors or that make the doors bigger or assist you 713 00:35:38,456 --> 00:35:44,322 to make those doors bigger, and without their support, this 714 00:35:44,342 --> 00:35:45,827 wouldn't be possible, and so we need their support for us to be 715 00:35:45,867 --> 00:35:47,253 able to have more opportunities. 716 00:35:47,253 --> 00:35:48,659 We need to have. 717 00:35:48,659 --> 00:35:52,507 We need to provide better resources, travel, exposure to 718 00:35:52,527 --> 00:35:55,740 different things so our students understand what the industry is 719 00:35:55,740 --> 00:35:59,329 all about and so they can meet and interact with industry 720 00:35:59,369 --> 00:35:59,670 leaders. 721 00:35:59,670 --> 00:36:03,409 When you meet and interact with industry leaders, it gives you 722 00:36:03,429 --> 00:36:07,724 the sense of saying I one day want to be like that person wow 723 00:36:07,804 --> 00:36:10,853 and so and so, to me that's, that's super, super important, 724 00:36:10,954 --> 00:36:14,365 and so if donors are going to be hearing this, uh, this podcast, 725 00:36:14,365 --> 00:36:15,409 I hope that they they can. 726 00:36:15,409 --> 00:36:18,300 They understand that their dollars were well spent, at 727 00:36:18,340 --> 00:36:21,447 least in my part, and I hope that a lot of other students 728 00:36:22,829 --> 00:36:26,746 that have been able to get support through those also using 729 00:36:26,746 --> 00:36:28,806 them very well, and hopefully that this helps. 730 00:36:29,380 --> 00:36:31,141 Speaker 2: Thank you so much for saying that, because let me 731 00:36:31,163 --> 00:36:34,748 tell you something, let me just capitalize on what Archimedes 732 00:36:34,768 --> 00:36:35,210 just said. 733 00:36:35,210 --> 00:36:38,465 You know, I tell people all the time that at the end of every 734 00:36:38,525 --> 00:36:40,505 dollar, think about what I just said. 735 00:36:40,505 --> 00:36:41,994 At the end of every dollar, think about what I just said. 736 00:36:41,994 --> 00:36:45,487 At the end of every dollar, there is an opportunity for a 737 00:36:45,567 --> 00:36:47,652 kid or an opportunity for a teacher. 738 00:36:47,652 --> 00:36:53,347 You and I are recording this in May 2025. 739 00:36:54,349 --> 00:37:00,043 And in May 2025, texas FFA members, texas agricultural 740 00:37:00,083 --> 00:37:05,239 science teachers, have access to more scholarships, more 741 00:37:05,338 --> 00:37:10,108 leadership development and more professional networks than ever 742 00:37:10,309 --> 00:37:11,030 in our history. 743 00:37:11,030 --> 00:37:15,628 We're almost 100 years old and we have more today than we've 744 00:37:15,708 --> 00:37:16,250 ever had. 745 00:37:16,250 --> 00:37:20,302 And the most important thing is what our committee has just 746 00:37:20,382 --> 00:37:22,690 expressed, and that is gratitude . 747 00:37:22,690 --> 00:37:27,021 We're not entitled to any of those dollars those sponsors 748 00:37:27,103 --> 00:37:29,349 could give to so many incredible causes. 749 00:37:29,349 --> 00:37:32,927 I'm just so thankful that I'm in a position where I get to 750 00:37:32,987 --> 00:37:35,552 share with them stories like Archimedes. 751 00:37:35,552 --> 00:37:39,190 I get to say this is what happens when you support our 752 00:37:39,230 --> 00:37:42,965 kids and, as a result, archimedes, you and I are making 753 00:37:42,965 --> 00:37:47,907 that door bigger for the people that are going to follow. 754 00:37:47,927 --> 00:37:48,528 Speaker 3: That's always a goal. 755 00:37:48,980 --> 00:37:50,346 Speaker 2: And they're going to say that one day. 756 00:37:50,346 --> 00:37:55,661 They're going to say Archimedes , I heard his story and if he 757 00:37:55,722 --> 00:37:57,045 can do it, I can do it. 758 00:37:57,045 --> 00:37:58,688 That's right. 759 00:37:58,688 --> 00:38:00,793 Yes, sir, all right. 760 00:38:00,793 --> 00:38:02,608 Well, let's wrap this up. 761 00:38:02,608 --> 00:38:04,219 You get one fun question, perfect. 762 00:38:04,219 --> 00:38:07,610 So okay I want to know what's the best concert you've ever 763 00:38:07,630 --> 00:38:11,086 been to what's the best concert we've ever been to? 764 00:38:11,969 --> 00:38:14,114 Speaker 3: oh man, that's a good one. 765 00:38:14,114 --> 00:38:17,860 It's probably gonna be uh, uh. 766 00:38:17,860 --> 00:38:20,643 So right now, probably cody johnson c Johnson. 767 00:38:20,643 --> 00:38:21,943 I went to one of his concerts. 768 00:38:21,943 --> 00:38:26,507 Yeah, cody Johnson, yeah, you know, I guess I'm going to say 769 00:38:26,527 --> 00:38:28,289 something back to that and just add it on to it. 770 00:38:28,289 --> 00:38:32,371 Every time he has a concert, he stops in the middle of the 771 00:38:32,413 --> 00:38:35,994 concert and says I want to give thanks to our veterans, I want 772 00:38:36,014 --> 00:38:42,382 to give thanks to our first responders, and he goes through 773 00:38:42,402 --> 00:38:46,682 this whole spiel and he builds so much pride around that and so 774 00:38:46,682 --> 00:38:48,168 when he does that. 775 00:38:48,460 --> 00:38:51,449 I'm a local volunteer firefighter because I want to 776 00:38:51,489 --> 00:38:54,077 give back to the community, right, I got I took from that 777 00:38:54,097 --> 00:38:54,380 community. 778 00:38:54,380 --> 00:38:56,880 I want to give back to the community as much as I can and I 779 00:38:56,880 --> 00:38:57,905 want to do a tenfold. 780 00:38:57,905 --> 00:39:01,347 And so when he says those things, he brings the community 781 00:39:01,367 --> 00:39:01,708 together. 782 00:39:01,708 --> 00:39:06,306 And when you speak at events, I feel like you're like the Cody 783 00:39:06,327 --> 00:39:06,688 Johnson. 784 00:39:06,688 --> 00:39:08,291 You bring the community together, right. 785 00:39:08,291 --> 00:39:10,684 And so to me that's a good concept. 786 00:39:11,266 --> 00:39:13,429 Speaker 2: Well, that's good, that was really good. 787 00:39:13,429 --> 00:39:16,161 I'm trying to get him on this podcast. 788 00:39:16,161 --> 00:39:19,210 So if I ever get him on here, I want to tell him he's got to 789 00:39:19,230 --> 00:39:20,293 watch this podcast. 790 00:39:20,293 --> 00:39:24,344 There you go, because that was powerful, and I agree with you. 791 00:39:24,344 --> 00:39:27,512 By the way, I appreciate the fact that he expresses that 792 00:39:27,579 --> 00:39:28,983 gratitude Again. 793 00:39:28,983 --> 00:39:31,309 That's why we start this podcast off with you know what 794 00:39:31,329 --> 00:39:32,340 are you grateful for today? 795 00:39:32,340 --> 00:39:35,789 Because, like you said, I believe it becomes something 796 00:39:35,829 --> 00:39:39,605 that you can rally around, that you can build on. 797 00:39:39,605 --> 00:39:42,554 So thank you so much for sharing that. 798 00:39:43,396 --> 00:39:45,563 Ladies and gentlemen, I mean I could just keep talking to 799 00:39:45,643 --> 00:39:48,090 Archimedes all day long. 800 00:39:48,090 --> 00:39:51,460 Again, I got to see him as a high school kid. 801 00:39:51,460 --> 00:39:55,608 I watched him go through Texas A&M University and put on that 802 00:39:55,648 --> 00:39:57,391 Corps Cadet uniform. 803 00:39:57,391 --> 00:40:02,166 I watched him pursue his master's and his doctoral. 804 00:40:02,166 --> 00:40:05,340 I get to see through social media that's the reason why I 805 00:40:05,360 --> 00:40:06,204 like social media. 806 00:40:06,204 --> 00:40:08,911 I get to see him start his beautiful family. 807 00:40:08,911 --> 00:40:12,807 I get to see these doors of opportunity that are opening up 808 00:40:12,847 --> 00:40:13,148 for him. 809 00:40:13,148 --> 00:40:16,483 But, more importantly, I get to hear somebody who's very 810 00:40:16,563 --> 00:40:19,088 passionate about giving it back. 811 00:40:19,088 --> 00:40:23,827 And we stand on the shoulders every one of us, we stand on the 812 00:40:23,827 --> 00:40:28,554 shoulders of the people that went before us, and go back to 813 00:40:28,574 --> 00:40:32,344 what we said the essence of leadership is to plant trees 814 00:40:32,625 --> 00:40:34,248 under whose shade you may never sit. 815 00:40:34,268 --> 00:40:39,405 Our argument is there's no question, none whatsoever, that 816 00:40:39,605 --> 00:40:42,871 you are going to inspire, encourage, equip somebody in 817 00:40:42,911 --> 00:40:46,788 your classroom, that you will never know that they're going to 818 00:40:46,788 --> 00:40:51,027 pass that on to somebody else, and it could be that person that 819 00:40:51,027 --> 00:40:51,871 changes the world. 820 00:40:51,871 --> 00:40:55,842 It could be that person that becomes your daughter's mentor 821 00:40:55,922 --> 00:40:57,103 or president, or doctor or lawyer or elected official 822 00:40:57,163 --> 00:41:01,266 president or doctor or lawyer or elected official. 823 00:41:02,367 --> 00:41:07,630 That is the beauty of having a grateful heart, of trying to 824 00:41:07,710 --> 00:41:12,132 encourage, equip and empower others, and I'm just thankful 825 00:41:12,172 --> 00:41:16,996 that for you and I, it was because we found FFA we were 826 00:41:17,056 --> 00:41:18,336 able to get into that jacket. 827 00:41:18,336 --> 00:41:20,382 That's right. 828 00:41:20,382 --> 00:41:24,740 We were able to determine an outcome of an opportunity that 829 00:41:24,802 --> 00:41:30,672 we were given and we're not done so somebody asked me the other 830 00:41:30,713 --> 00:41:33,425 day of course I've been at this a long time, 25 years and 831 00:41:33,465 --> 00:41:34,871 they're like well, aaron, are you about done? 832 00:41:34,871 --> 00:41:35,601 Are you going to retire? 833 00:41:35,601 --> 00:41:40,190 And I said no, I'm not going to ease up, let up, shut up or 834 00:41:40,710 --> 00:41:42,313 give up until I'm taken up. 835 00:41:42,313 --> 00:41:45,226 I said I'm just kind of getting warmed up. 836 00:41:47,150 --> 00:41:47,971 Speaker 3: There you go. 837 00:41:47,971 --> 00:41:48,371 Yes, sir. 838 00:41:48,713 --> 00:41:49,414 Speaker 2: Just keep going. 839 00:41:51,280 --> 00:41:52,262 Speaker 3: That's all you got to do right. 840 00:41:52,262 --> 00:41:53,304 Take opportunities. 841 00:41:53,304 --> 00:41:58,621 Take the opportunities, Never say no and move forward and do 842 00:41:58,661 --> 00:42:01,389 what's right, even when it's hard, because it matters. 843 00:42:02,601 --> 00:42:04,186 Speaker 2: That's how we're going to close today's show 844 00:42:04,326 --> 00:42:04,706 right there. 845 00:42:04,706 --> 00:42:07,985 That was it, ladies and gentlemen, listen. 846 00:42:07,985 --> 00:42:09,210 Thank you for stopping by. 847 00:42:09,210 --> 00:42:15,650 You know, when we look at life, it's only one thing we can do 848 00:42:15,690 --> 00:42:17,193 with our time, and that is spend it. 849 00:42:17,193 --> 00:42:20,909 So we appreciate you spending a little of your time with us 850 00:42:20,969 --> 00:42:21,289 today. 851 00:42:21,289 --> 00:42:24,539 So we appreciate you spending a little of your time with us 852 00:42:24,599 --> 00:42:24,780 today. 853 00:42:24,780 --> 00:42:31,556 We appreciate the opportunity to bring the Growing Our Future 854 00:42:31,577 --> 00:42:33,302 podcast to listeners worldwide, but I'm really appreciative when 855 00:42:33,302 --> 00:42:33,681 we bring guests on. 856 00:42:33,702 --> 00:42:36,447 Like Archimedes, again, god gave me a gift and that gift is a 857 00:42:36,527 --> 00:42:46,121 front row seat to this man's life, and I'm so grateful for 858 00:42:46,141 --> 00:42:48,567 what the organization has done, for what the teachers have done, 859 00:42:48,567 --> 00:42:50,871 for what mentors have done, and I'm also grateful that you were 860 00:42:50,871 --> 00:42:51,940 willing to come on and share. 861 00:42:51,940 --> 00:42:55,253 So thank you so much for joining us today. 862 00:42:55,253 --> 00:42:57,481 Everybody else, here's what we're going to do. 863 00:42:57,481 --> 00:43:00,126 I want you to go out and do something great for somebody, 864 00:43:01,389 --> 00:43:03,302 encourage them, equip them, empower them. 865 00:43:03,302 --> 00:43:05,266 You're going to feel good about it and guess what? 866 00:43:05,266 --> 00:43:09,125 Just like Archimedes said, because you do, you're going to 867 00:43:09,144 --> 00:43:11,831 make this world a better place to live, work and raise our 868 00:43:11,891 --> 00:43:12,293 families. 869 00:43:12,900 --> 00:43:14,605 Speaker 1: So until we meet again, everybody. 870 00:43:14,666 --> 00:43:18,396 Speaker 2: go out, plant great seeds and grow an incredible 871 00:43:18,416 --> 00:43:18,557 future. 872 00:43:18,557 --> 00:43:19,360 Thank you, Grow an incredible future. 873 00:43:21,722 --> 00:43:24,288 Speaker 1: Thank you. 874 00:43:24,288 --> 00:43:26,851 We hope you've enjoyed this episode of the Growing Our 875 00:43:26,911 --> 00:43:27,914 Future podcast. 876 00:43:27,914 --> 00:43:35,123 This show is sponsored by the Texas FFA Foundation, whose 877 00:43:35,143 --> 00:43:36,469 mission is to strengthen agricultural science education 878 00:43:36,489 --> 00:43:38,637 so students can develop their potential for personal growth, 879 00:43:38,998 --> 00:43:41,909 career success and leadership in a global marketplace. 880 00:43:41,909 --> 00:43:42,632 Learn more at mytexasffaorg. 881 00:43:42,632 --> 00:43:44,077 Potential for personal growth, career success and leadership in 882 00:43:44,077 --> 00:43:49,865 a global marketplace Learn more at mytexasffaorg.