WEBVTT 00:00:02.746 --> 00:00:04.873 Welcome to the Growing Our Future podcast. 00:00:04.873 --> 00:00:19.949 In this show, the Texas FFA Foundation will take on a journey of exploration into agricultural science, education, leadership development and insights from subject matter experts and sponsors who provide the fuel to make dreams come true. 00:00:19.949 --> 00:00:22.327 Here's your host, Aaron Alejandro. 00:00:31.538 --> 00:00:32.579 Here is your host, aaron Alejandro. 00:00:32.579 --> 00:00:38.292 Well, good morning, good afternoon, good evening, or whenever you may be tuning into the Growing Our Future podcast. 00:00:38.292 --> 00:00:57.027 You know, we just appreciate so much that technology has allowed us to have a platform like this where we can bring guests on and they can share their insights, their experiences, their expertise, and then we get to put it on this incredible platform so it can be listened to around the world. 00:00:57.027 --> 00:01:01.066 And you know, it all really comes back to this point. 00:01:01.066 --> 00:01:05.921 You know, I like to always say if agriculture has taught me anything, it's taught me. 00:01:05.921 --> 00:01:08.608 If you want to know what the future is, grow it. 00:01:08.608 --> 00:01:10.816 Well, how do you grow the future? 00:01:10.816 --> 00:01:17.718 You got to plant the right seeds, and that's what we do with our guests, and so it is an honor. 00:01:17.757 --> 00:01:20.203 I've been excited about bringing this man back. 00:01:20.203 --> 00:01:28.387 He's been part of our leadership series before, but we're now bringing him back officially on the podcast and I am honored. 00:01:28.387 --> 00:01:31.069 I've had a front row seat to this man's career. 00:01:31.069 --> 00:01:38.674 It has been an honor to watch him grow personally, professionally, and I'm excited for y'all to get to meet him today. 00:01:38.674 --> 00:01:41.387 Ladies and gentlemen, this is Markimidis Reyes. 00:01:41.387 --> 00:01:42.329 Is it Dr Reyes? 00:01:43.621 --> 00:01:44.762 Dr Reyes, good work, dr. 00:01:44.802 --> 00:01:46.468 Reyes, he earned it. 00:01:46.468 --> 00:01:48.063 Thank you for joining us. 00:01:48.906 --> 00:01:49.206 Thank you. 00:01:49.206 --> 00:01:49.989 Thank you for having me. 00:01:49.989 --> 00:01:50.932 It's been a pleasure. 00:01:51.659 --> 00:02:00.504 Well, like I said, we're going to dig in deeper and we're going to talk about you know kind of where and how you ended up where you're at, and I knew that he was a doctor. 00:02:00.504 --> 00:02:05.894 I just wanted to make sure that I had it correct because let me tell you something, I suspect they didn't just hand it to him. 00:02:05.894 --> 00:02:14.169 Something tells me that he earned it and I know his family's proud of him, I'm proud of him, and so I wanted to make sure that I got that title exactly right. 00:02:14.169 --> 00:02:23.348 So, archimedes, I'm going to call you Archimedes through the day, but just know there's no disrespect to your being Dr S. 00:02:23.949 --> 00:02:24.951 Oh no, I appreciate it. 00:02:25.211 --> 00:02:37.620 Here we go, so every guest gets the same question, the same first question, and that is what are you grateful for today? 00:02:38.240 --> 00:02:42.548 I think that's a good question and there's a lot of things to be grateful for, but today I'm grateful for my family. 00:02:42.548 --> 00:02:46.742 To me, they're my foundation and they're my constant source of support. 00:02:46.742 --> 00:02:49.310 Okay, when I need it the most, they're always there for me. 00:02:49.310 --> 00:02:59.872 I'm also grateful to God for the blessings and guidances that have strengthened me, that have shaped me to make me who I am, basically lead me through this journey. 00:02:59.872 --> 00:03:06.031 I'm also thankful for the opportunities to teach the students and to mentor the future generation of agriculture. 00:03:06.031 --> 00:03:22.186 That's something that fills my bucket, and I guess I'm also grateful for organizations like the Future Farmers of America, who instilled a purpose, a passion for agriculture in my life, and I think it's doing that for others. 00:03:23.181 --> 00:03:27.788 And we've got to do a whole podcast, and I could just stop right there. 00:03:27.788 --> 00:03:29.950 I couldn't agree with you more. 00:03:29.950 --> 00:03:33.903 I don't think there's anything greater than family. 00:03:33.903 --> 00:03:36.068 I don't think anybody you know. 00:03:36.068 --> 00:03:37.923 I had a kid the other day asked me this. 00:03:37.923 --> 00:03:38.927 I thought this was pretty good. 00:03:38.927 --> 00:03:46.729 I was down in Area 3, houston area and I had a kid ask me how important is faith to leadership. 00:03:46.729 --> 00:03:48.734 That's a good question. 00:03:49.400 --> 00:03:50.042 It's a good question. 00:03:50.443 --> 00:03:58.691 I just told him this you know, I said name the most famous people you could name in athletes and movie stars and in business and entertainment. 00:03:58.691 --> 00:04:06.334 And they named all these famous people and I said now name me just one of them, just one that makes their own heartbeat every day. 00:04:08.640 --> 00:04:24.625 And I said, if you don't have a little faith, you really might not find your purpose, but a little faith, family friends, a purpose, passion for what we do and a recognition that we stand on the shoulders of somebody that went before us. 00:04:24.625 --> 00:04:32.737 That's true, yes, sir, and you just you outlined all of that in a very simple introduction, so thank you for sharing that. 00:04:32.737 --> 00:04:34.403 Thank you, I appreciate it. 00:04:34.425 --> 00:04:35.702 Yes, sir, it means a lot. 00:04:35.702 --> 00:04:43.348 You know just to say that family, god and friends right and your foundation for growth and success and you have to be able to utilize them. 00:04:44.279 --> 00:04:44.600 I agree. 00:04:44.600 --> 00:04:51.091 I agree, I wouldn't have made it, I wouldn't have been where I was at right now if it hadn't been for all those things. 00:04:51.091 --> 00:04:55.487 So let's dive in here, all right. 00:04:55.487 --> 00:05:05.850 I remember this young man when he was a much younger man and he was a volunteer in our foundation ambassador program. 00:05:05.850 --> 00:05:06.913 That's right. 00:05:06.913 --> 00:05:20.730 And I got to know him and then, the more I learned about his story, the more inspired I was by his grit, his resiliency, his focus on the future, his adaptability. 00:05:20.730 --> 00:05:26.646 There's just so many things that come to mind when I think of Archimedes' story, but I don't want to tell it. 00:05:26.646 --> 00:05:28.050 I want y'all to hear it. 00:05:28.050 --> 00:05:37.182 So, archimedes, I want you to take us back and we're going to get to where you're at today. 00:05:37.182 --> 00:05:41.514 Today, you're a professor, you're an associate professor of animal science at the University of Wisconsin in River Falls. 00:05:41.514 --> 00:05:43.177 That's a long way. 00:05:43.177 --> 00:05:44.324 That's just north Texas. 00:05:44.324 --> 00:05:46.622 I mean, that's just on the north part of Texas. 00:05:46.704 --> 00:05:48.569 No, it's the north part of Texas, that's right. 00:05:48.689 --> 00:06:04.886 Several states away and you're doing great things there, but I think that your story is one, in my opinion, of the most inspiring stories I've been privy to in my time in the FFA and in working with students, and so take us back and tell us. 00:06:04.886 --> 00:06:06.350 You know how did you end up? 00:06:06.350 --> 00:06:09.987 I think you were Lake Travis, is that correct? 00:06:09.987 --> 00:06:10.990 High? 00:06:11.009 --> 00:06:11.812 school or Lanier? 00:06:11.812 --> 00:06:13.946 No, no, lanier High School. 00:06:13.946 --> 00:06:15.149 At the time it changes names. 00:06:16.081 --> 00:06:17.504 You were Lanier there in Austin. 00:06:17.504 --> 00:06:28.786 But take us back to how you came to Lanier, kind of how you found your way into FFA and agricultural science and kind of what happened next. 00:06:30.449 --> 00:06:32.134 Yeah, I guess you know my life started. 00:06:32.134 --> 00:06:41.226 My journey started in a small country in El Salvador at the time and still probably now it's considered a third world country where agriculture was a way of life. 00:06:41.226 --> 00:06:45.372 So I grew up in a small dairy and beef farm, working alongside my grandparents, but growing up, that was the job of life. 00:06:45.372 --> 00:06:48.867 So I grew up in a small dairy and beef farm working alongside my grandparents, but growing up, that was the job of the poor. 00:06:48.867 --> 00:06:50.884 I didn't want to do farming. 00:06:50.884 --> 00:07:01.831 When I came to the United States that's something that I was like hey, I want to be a businessman, I want to wear a suit, I want to go to a boardroom, I want to be successful in life and have some money in my pocket. 00:07:01.831 --> 00:07:13.519 And to me at the time I thought that that was going to fill my, my bucket and and it was hard to to picture myself going back to farming because I knew how hard it was. 00:07:13.519 --> 00:07:37.002 But once I came to the United States, I had different opportunities to be able to work alongside my dad, who was a construction worker, and then I realized that I needed to go to school rather than just keep working, because that was also a hard work, respectful work, but it was pretty tough and I said to myself maybe there's something else there for me, and so I decided to. 00:07:37.002 --> 00:07:45.353 We got enrolled in high school and I had the opportunity to meet an incredible ag teacher, mr Tracy Cortez. 00:07:45.353 --> 00:07:55.050 He has been a foundation, a rock in my life and my success, and I get a little teary sometimes when I talk about him because he means a lot to me. 00:07:55.050 --> 00:08:03.829 And so he saw in me what I didn't see in myself at the time and he encouraged me to just do more. 00:08:03.829 --> 00:08:04.992 He encouraged me to lead. 00:08:04.992 --> 00:08:06.860 He encouraged me to just do more. 00:08:06.860 --> 00:08:07.502 He encouraged me to lead. 00:08:07.502 --> 00:08:12.312 He encouraged me to be competitive and, more importantly, he helped me find my voice and my values. 00:08:12.312 --> 00:08:24.569 And so I got to Texas, to Central Texas, when I was 11 years old 10, 11 years old and I had the opportunity to learn alongside Mr Tracy Cortez. 00:08:24.610 --> 00:08:35.812 As I started and I joined FFA, still didn't want to do agriculture okay so I started wanting to do something else and he encouraged me to pursue my dreams. 00:08:35.812 --> 00:08:43.312 And as I pursued those dreams, I ended up finding myself back into animal science. 00:08:43.312 --> 00:08:52.191 It's where I felt the comfort of home, it's where I felt like I belong and I was able to see through the FFA that there was future in agriculture. 00:08:52.191 --> 00:08:54.081 It was more than just a poor man's job. 00:08:54.081 --> 00:09:02.509 You're feeding the world and you're doing it as ethically as possible and as responsible as possible, utilizing all the resources that God has provided us. 00:09:03.351 --> 00:09:07.571 And it's just a story that's guided me through the days and it's taken me. 00:09:07.571 --> 00:09:08.881 Every day. 00:09:08.881 --> 00:09:13.427 I look back and I said, hey, here's where I came from, I can't forget it and I need to go back to it. 00:09:13.427 --> 00:09:24.910 And so it's hard right, but through the opportunity of joining our local FFA chapter, I was able to develop a deep respect for raising animals. 00:09:24.910 --> 00:09:41.123 I raised pigs and I raised goats, and so that helped me understand more of how cattle and how animals and how livestock and how things were being raised in this country and the importance of feeding the world and feeding everybody around you. 00:09:41.123 --> 00:10:01.075 And all of that led me to pursue an animal science career and eventually I was able to pursue a master's in animal science with an emphasis in meat science, and a PhD at Colorado State University with meat science and ruminant nutrition focus. 00:10:02.279 --> 00:10:04.807 And so it's just a little bit of everything, I guess. 00:10:05.008 --> 00:10:08.506 I don't know if I cover most of most of the questions, but my life is. 00:10:08.506 --> 00:10:23.993 My journey has been long, from going to Lanier FFA and being part of the local chapter to joining the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M and becoming the leader I was able to, to grow in there, and I think I went to one of your. 00:10:23.993 --> 00:10:27.743 One of our meetings was when I was already in the corps of cadets. 00:10:27.743 --> 00:10:30.953 Uh, when I, uh you, bought me my first plane ticket. 00:10:30.953 --> 00:10:33.481 I remember that and I flew from amarillo. 00:10:33.481 --> 00:10:40.144 I was there doing some dairy science education and I flew from amarillo to dallas and that was a, that was an experience. 00:10:40.144 --> 00:10:46.519 My first flight, um, we went to meet with one of the donors, la quinta, one of the sponsors. 00:10:46.519 --> 00:10:48.764 Remember that very, very vividly. 00:10:49.765 --> 00:11:00.522 And so from there, you know, you learn to lead, you learn to grow, you learn to succeed, and and then you rely on those friends that you have that open the doors for you and for guidance. 00:11:00.522 --> 00:11:03.009 And so I always called my my teacher. 00:11:03.009 --> 00:11:04.315 I always called those friends when I have questions of life am I doing this right? 00:11:04.315 --> 00:11:04.390 What would you do in my case? 00:11:04.390 --> 00:11:04.649 And so guidance. 00:11:04.649 --> 00:11:04.823 And so I always called my, my act, teacher. 00:11:04.823 --> 00:11:06.683 I always called those friends when I have questions of life. 00:11:06.683 --> 00:11:08.006 Am I doing this right? 00:11:08.006 --> 00:11:09.431 What would you do in my case? 00:11:09.431 --> 00:11:11.422 And so that's a little bit about my life. 00:11:13.365 --> 00:11:30.125 Well, it's an incredible story and I don't know, can I, can I throw some other details in there, because I really admire you know, everybody's got a story, by the way Archimedes everybody and not everybody shares their story. 00:11:31.147 --> 00:11:44.748 And what they don't understand is that God gives us our story because God knows there's going to be somebody just like us that needs to hear that story and we never know when that's going to happen. 00:11:44.748 --> 00:12:07.480 But I understand that when you first came here, that as you started in elementary and middle school, that you struggled with the dialect of English and maybe didn't get the full attention of teachers that maybe you could have used, but you didn't slow down, you just persevered right through that. 00:12:07.480 --> 00:12:15.844 And because you persevered through it they ultimately the teacher said hey, y'all really need to take note of this young man. 00:12:15.844 --> 00:12:27.714 And even at that moment they couldn't quite fully grasp just how talented you were, not only academically but how driven you were to succeed. 00:12:27.714 --> 00:12:40.291 And I understand that there was a very pivotal point when you entered high school where you could have very easily chosen to drop out of school. 00:12:41.533 --> 00:12:42.073 But it was that. 00:12:42.682 --> 00:12:42.923 Sure. 00:12:43.827 --> 00:12:45.515 It was one of those moments I remember. 00:12:45.515 --> 00:12:51.291 You know, like I mentioned before, I come still consider myself, you know, middle-class, right? 00:12:51.291 --> 00:12:54.804 So I grew up in a very poor family and work. 00:12:54.804 --> 00:13:02.126 We needed to work to make ends meet, and so I was part of the working force in my household and I remember working and realizing hey, I'm making money. 00:13:02.126 --> 00:13:06.504 If I quit school and I work an extra eight hours a day, I'm going to make this much more money. 00:13:06.504 --> 00:13:08.568 My mom doesn't have to have a second job. 00:13:08.568 --> 00:13:12.749 Maybe if I work an extra eight hours a week, my dad doesn't have to have a second job. 00:13:12.749 --> 00:13:18.371 And so it's always a thought and question in my head Can I do more so my parents do less, Because they're getting old? 00:13:18.371 --> 00:13:19.519 It's my time to provide. 00:13:20.841 --> 00:13:23.682 And it came to that moment where I thought about dropping out. 00:13:23.682 --> 00:13:26.423 And it came to that moment where I thought about dropping out. 00:13:26.423 --> 00:13:34.447 And again, Mr Cortez was so pivotal in that moment where he basically promised me a little bit of income if I were to stay for six weeks. 00:13:34.447 --> 00:13:43.351 And I remember that very vividly and that led me to racing my first goat, going to the county fair and making a little bit of money. 00:13:43.351 --> 00:13:54.937 And then my life changed, and if it wasn't for that, I probably would still be working at the same job that I was working in high school, because that's all I knew what to do and so. 00:13:54.937 --> 00:13:57.898 But no, it was definitely an experience. 00:14:04.340 --> 00:14:12.292 So I come into this story and I find this young man and he becomes a foundation ambassador and, as you've already heard, he's a workhorse and he got in there and he worked with our sponsors and he did an incredible job. 00:14:12.292 --> 00:14:43.048 And then the thing that I'll never forget, archimedes, I'll never forget it is I remember I was at the Bob Bullock History Museum down by the state capitol and they were doing the Rodeo Austin Scholarship Awards and I'm sitting over here and I'm watching all this because we had a bunch of FFA kids getting scholarships and all of a sudden they put the microphone up to the sky and the words I'll never forget. 00:14:43.048 --> 00:14:44.985 I never forgot it, archimedes. 00:14:44.985 --> 00:14:47.150 He said my name is Archimedes Reyes. 00:14:47.150 --> 00:15:05.450 I'm graduating valedictorian of my class, I'm going to go to Texas A&M, I'll be in the Corps Cadet and I'm going to become an ag teacher and keep kids in school, just like me just like my ag teacher did and I never forgot that I was so inspired. 00:15:06.291 --> 00:15:19.200 And then, when we were working with La Quinta, which is one of our major corporate sponsors, we were having a host committee meeting in Dallas and I knew our committed story and I'm like our committee is, I got to have you come to Dallas. 00:15:19.200 --> 00:15:24.811 I want you to tell that story and that's another life moment that I'll never forget. 00:15:24.811 --> 00:15:31.520 And I remember asking you how was your flight? 00:15:31.520 --> 00:15:32.643 And you said it was really good and you go. 00:15:32.663 --> 00:15:40.942 That's the first time I ever flown on a plane and I just thought how proud I was to know this man, that I got a front row seat to his journey. 00:15:40.942 --> 00:15:54.506 And now, as you've heard, his journey has taken him through the ranks of college academics to now he's an associate professor of animal science there in the University of Wisconsin at River Falls. 00:15:54.506 --> 00:16:05.693 And now you get to pour into the minds of young people and hopefully become a Tracy Cortez, maybe at a different level. 00:16:06.860 --> 00:16:07.162 That's right. 00:16:07.162 --> 00:16:10.688 Yes, sir, I'd like to be a mentor like Mr Cortez. 00:16:10.688 --> 00:16:21.269 Tracy has been man pivotal in my life, right, and it's just I kind of find him as a second parent, to the point like he was in my wedding. 00:16:22.120 --> 00:16:23.386 So he was part of my wedding. 00:16:23.386 --> 00:16:30.726 I felt like I needed a person that I felt like family and a friend that I could call on, and so I said, hey, I'm going to call him. 00:16:30.726 --> 00:16:33.229 I wonder if he's willing to be in my wedding. 00:16:33.229 --> 00:16:34.763 And he decided to do it, so that was. 00:16:34.763 --> 00:16:36.820 I was so thankful for the opportunity. 00:16:36.980 --> 00:16:44.413 But, you know, as a student and as a person in life, you need to find those mentors that stretch you. 00:16:44.413 --> 00:17:07.755 Student and as a person in life, you need to find those mentors that stretch you right, those mentors that that push you through the failures, those mentors that assist you getting out of those failures and help you shape who you are, those mentors that put you in leadership positions and those people that help you become a leader and help you become a better communicator through the industry or to the individuals. 00:17:07.755 --> 00:17:10.306 And so just find them. 00:17:10.306 --> 00:17:13.406 They're out there and my goal is to be one of them. 00:17:13.406 --> 00:17:34.127 Tracy was for me and I want to be for somebody else, and I hope that someday, like you mentioned before, someday we have a person going through a podcast and saying our comedians did this for me, and so I wish somebody could say that for me at some point in life and that will be the dream right they will. 00:17:34.750 --> 00:17:35.050 They will. 00:17:35.050 --> 00:17:36.280 Yes, sir, you know. 00:17:36.280 --> 00:17:42.394 One of the other things that you and I have in common is that FFA jacket, Right? 00:17:42.394 --> 00:17:52.727 Yes, sir, you know I tell people that that jacket was a game changer, Because when I put my jacket on and I zipped it up, you know you didn't know that I came from a broken home. 00:17:52.727 --> 00:18:01.869 You didn't know that we were getting our dinner out of a garbage can or that I had a 14 on my ACT or $25 in my checking account. 00:18:01.869 --> 00:18:04.623 I look just like everybody else. 00:18:04.623 --> 00:18:19.406 That meant that I had the same opportunities as everybody else and I took advantage of those opportunities and ended up at Texas Tech University on five scholarships and my education was paid for all because of that blue and gold jacket. 00:18:19.406 --> 00:18:22.842 I believe that jacket levels the playing field. 00:18:22.842 --> 00:18:25.047 You know, I like to tell people. 00:18:25.047 --> 00:18:30.785 The jacket says come here, let me just give you a hug and here's an opportunity, and so the jacket. 00:18:30.944 --> 00:18:31.365 It does. 00:18:31.365 --> 00:18:34.358 It gives us a hug and it says here's an opportunity. 00:18:34.358 --> 00:18:40.521 Now you know, one of the things, archimedes, that we got to tell young people is adults, our job is to create opportunities. 00:18:40.521 --> 00:18:44.328 Young people, your job is to determine the outcome. 00:18:44.328 --> 00:18:45.876 That's correct. 00:18:45.876 --> 00:18:53.126 Archimedes wasn't entitled to anything, but he took advantage of the opportunities that he had. 00:18:53.126 --> 00:18:55.904 And look at what he's accomplished. 00:18:55.904 --> 00:19:03.865 But, archimedes, go back in time and tell me because I think there's a very interesting story around how you earned your FFA jacket. 00:19:05.694 --> 00:19:08.260 Yeah, I guess you know it's been a while. 00:19:08.260 --> 00:19:16.564 I guess my biggest takeaway from that jacket is that the Alumni Association of our local FFA chapter. 00:19:16.564 --> 00:19:28.304 They used to do a scholarship and you had to work, you had to do little things here, there and then eventually you apply and you were able to gain enough points. 00:19:28.304 --> 00:19:51.067 And I remember getting my jacket and I don't know if mr cortez or was the alumni that paid for it, I can't remember exactly, but I remember wearing the jacket home and my dad thought I had stole it and, um, he told me to return it it and I was just mind-blowing and I couldn't remember at the time what did I tell him? 00:19:51.067 --> 00:19:58.145 But I just was like this is mine, he has my name on it, it's embroidered, it's me, I promise they gave it to me and he couldn't believe me. 00:19:58.145 --> 00:20:00.878 He said we don't take anything, give it back. 00:20:00.878 --> 00:20:03.163 And I did it and I wore it with. 00:20:03.163 --> 00:20:10.999 Eventually he understood that that was me and I think I wore that jacket the full semester and I never took it off. 00:20:11.259 --> 00:20:22.625 Maybe it should have been washed Now, archibald if I recall, if I recall because of that moment in time with your family, that you actually used that to bring them to an FFA meeting. 00:20:23.476 --> 00:20:25.269 I did yes because they wanted me to return it. 00:20:25.570 --> 00:20:30.785 Yes, that's right, and they got to see that you earned it and what you were a part of. 00:20:30.785 --> 00:20:31.907 That's right. 00:20:31.928 --> 00:20:34.221 Yes, sir, yeah, they got to see me. 00:20:34.221 --> 00:20:41.906 I remember I was, we went to the meeting, we got to sit around and they were like what are you guys doing? 00:20:41.906 --> 00:20:45.000 And so you know they were lost right, they didn't understand it. 00:20:45.060 --> 00:20:48.367 It was a little bit of a language barrier, so that was a little translating here and there. 00:20:48.367 --> 00:21:09.505 And then through that process of then seeing us speak in front of the group and kind of lead the group into the meeting and just have discussion boards and figure it out, plan ahead, what we were going to do for the next, between the next meeting, my dad realized that and my mom realized that that the organization was actually making me a better person. 00:21:09.505 --> 00:21:16.883 And then they stopped pestering me about it and they supported me ever since, because after that they were like do you want to get chickens? 00:21:17.203 --> 00:21:21.223 We'll help you with the chickens, and so I got chickens so I could show up poultry in a fair. 00:21:22.056 --> 00:21:24.263 It didn't go very well, but we tried. 00:21:25.355 --> 00:21:26.922 Well, that's why you're working with beef now. 00:21:26.922 --> 00:21:28.118 That's right. 00:21:28.082 --> 00:21:28.945 Yes, that's why you're working with beef now. 00:21:28.945 --> 00:21:29.112 That's right. 00:21:29.112 --> 00:21:29.382 Yes, that's right. 00:21:29.382 --> 00:21:31.055 That's why I switched. 00:21:31.075 --> 00:21:34.663 Yeah, there's a lot of stories archimedes. 00:21:34.663 --> 00:21:48.984 I've been very fortunate to hear a lot of incredible stories and, uh, I just want you to know that I think yours is one of my top three oh, thank you, it means a lot, it's, it's a lot. 00:21:49.205 --> 00:22:00.449 It's inspiring and I think the thing that I appreciate about your story is that nowhere along the way in your story have I ever sensed anything other than gratitude. 00:22:00.449 --> 00:22:08.403 From the very beginning, from the very first time I've met you, I've just never sensed anything other than gratitude. 00:22:08.403 --> 00:22:14.375 You were grateful for an opportunity, you were grateful for a chance to connect with people. 00:22:14.375 --> 00:22:23.676 You were grateful for a chance to excel academically, to excel with hard work, with work ethic. 00:22:24.378 --> 00:22:47.739 I mean, I just appreciate so much that, like I said, your journey is just checkered with gratefulness and it shows I like to tell people that my journey is full of doors and the doors are there for me to learn how to turn that knob and open them up and to experience to see what's on the other side of the room. 00:22:47.739 --> 00:22:58.305 And if I don't feel like I don't, I'm not going to make a change, then there's another door where I can make a change and hopefully somebody's going to benefit from that change. 00:22:59.606 --> 00:23:00.616 Let's talk about doors. 00:23:00.616 --> 00:23:06.578 Yes, sir, I gotta believe that maybe when you were at colorado state you might have run into some lady out there. 00:23:06.578 --> 00:23:07.000 She's got. 00:23:07.000 --> 00:23:11.361 She's known for talking about doors too, dr Temple Grandin. 00:23:13.875 --> 00:23:19.365 Well, I could talk to you a little bit about that and I think that you're going to find that story a little interesting. 00:23:19.365 --> 00:23:23.203 Thanks to Dr Grandin, I was able to meet my wife. 00:23:23.203 --> 00:23:47.502 So Dr Grandin gave my wife an opportunity to pursue her master's at Colorado State University and her office, or the office for her students, was a little full and she took an extra student and she probably would have, just because of the time and commitment that he takes to mentor a grad student and she said, hey, I'm going to put them in your office. 00:23:47.502 --> 00:24:13.890 So she I remember that she brought my wife, sat her next to me and that was her office, with her little cubicle space right next to me, and then we kind of didn't get along for a minute and then eventually we realized that we needed to help each other out because we were all in the same struggle and one thing led to the other and we ended up becoming, uh, you know, a couple and now we're married, have a beautiful two and a half month old daughter. 00:24:13.890 --> 00:24:15.435 So we're pretty excited about that. 00:24:16.817 --> 00:24:22.167 And dr grandin has definitely been a friend of ours, um, through the years. 00:24:22.167 --> 00:24:34.377 I know that we can call her anytime and, uh, she'll talk to us, mentor us and guide us and things, and so she talks about opportunities that every time I've heard her speak I've heard. 00:24:34.377 --> 00:24:36.163 The first time I heard her speak was at Texas A&M. 00:24:36.163 --> 00:24:45.441 She came in and I went to visit her with her and I went to shake her hand and be like, thanks for the great speech and it was so nice to meet you. 00:24:45.441 --> 00:24:46.364 You know, finally meet you. 00:24:46.364 --> 00:24:49.356 You hear all those things, you watch the movie, but so nice to meet you, you know, finally meet you. 00:24:49.356 --> 00:24:50.342 You hear all those things, you watch the movie, but so finally nice to shake your hand. 00:24:50.342 --> 00:24:51.820 And she's a human just like you and I. 00:24:51.820 --> 00:24:55.164 So if you ever see her in person, go shake her hand, tell her thank you. 00:24:55.164 --> 00:25:05.647 She opens up to you and she's just an awesome person and we talked for a few minutes and then she's like hey, thanks for coming up, thanks for reaching out. 00:25:09.855 --> 00:25:13.214 It's hey, thanks for coming up, thanks for reaching out, it's been great you have a you have a keen eye for animals, she said, and one day you're going to be successful. 00:25:16.279 --> 00:25:18.423 I took that very, very wow. 00:25:18.423 --> 00:25:23.757 It was just kind of like yeah, I know who are you, how can you tell that I'm going to be this person? 00:25:23.757 --> 00:25:41.936 But I was like you know what, maybe it's just her encouraging me to be a better person, and so that encouragement led me to pursuing this career, and so when I met her again when I started my PhD, I told her about that and she's like yep, I remember you were wearing a corkadette's uniform and I said yes, I was. 00:25:41.936 --> 00:25:43.400 How do you remember this? 00:25:43.400 --> 00:25:45.363 But then I learned that she remembers everything. 00:25:45.363 --> 00:25:46.566 Oh, yeah she. 00:25:47.307 --> 00:25:48.449 Lord we uh. 00:25:48.449 --> 00:25:51.844 And then you know we had her on the podcast. 00:25:51.844 --> 00:26:02.029 Yeah, she's been on the podcast and a good friend of mine is also a good friend of hers, dr Kevin Pond uh WT and I can tell you what. 00:26:02.590 --> 00:26:04.278 You mentioned one person there, kevin Pond. 00:26:04.278 --> 00:26:11.420 He's been uh, he's been a friend of mine probably since I started Colorado State University and you can ask him about me. 00:26:11.420 --> 00:26:13.384 I remember this. 00:26:13.384 --> 00:26:22.336 It was during the time that his parents were I just passed, I think his mom passed and then his dad passed a few days right after, so it was pretty close. 00:26:22.336 --> 00:26:29.789 And he had a little farm in Fort Collins, colorado, that needed some help picking up hay and doing other things. 00:26:31.097 --> 00:26:36.986 And we were at a reciprocal meat conference and somebody said, hey, dr Paul needs help, who's willing? 00:26:36.986 --> 00:26:40.239 And I said I'll leave early, I'll go help and I'll take care of the animals. 00:26:40.239 --> 00:26:45.506 We picked up the hay and I noticed the farm needed some upkeep, some maintenance. 00:26:45.506 --> 00:26:55.377 And I went up to him when he came back from, you know, doing his family trips because of his parents, and I said, hey, your farm needs help, I want to take care of it. 00:26:55.377 --> 00:26:59.305 Would you trade me housing for work? 00:26:59.305 --> 00:27:01.929 And he says I can do that. 00:27:01.929 --> 00:27:05.801 I have a small apartment in the barn, we can set it up. 00:27:05.801 --> 00:27:08.307 And I moved in and I was. 00:27:08.307 --> 00:27:14.986 I took care of his, I fed his cattle, took care of the yard, ended up with my. 00:27:14.986 --> 00:27:22.920 With the help of my dad, we remodeled some bathrooms in his house, just because I was trying to help my dad, you know, get jobs here or there when he came and visit. 00:27:22.920 --> 00:27:25.605 And so so we are. 00:27:25.605 --> 00:27:27.337 We have been really good friends ever since. 00:27:28.079 --> 00:27:29.183 What a a small world, isn't it? 00:27:29.183 --> 00:27:37.388 Yeah, he and janice are friends of ours, his son, anson um, who's now working with uh pilgrims. 00:27:37.388 --> 00:27:53.602 They're now one of our new corporate sponsors and I don't know if you recall or not, but when we did the first million dollar gift with ford Company, ford made a television commercial that had two FFA kids in it and that one of those FFA kids was Anson Pond. 00:27:53.602 --> 00:27:55.226 I did not know that. 00:27:55.226 --> 00:28:09.837 Yeah, it's amazing how, but you know, when you were talking about doors, you know Dr Grandin and I had this conversation, and you know Dr Pond and I've had this conversation. 00:28:09.877 --> 00:28:22.128 And another good friend of ours is Gordon Davis, as you probably know, gw, and anyway, you know, when my oldest son was in fifth grade, fourth grade, fifth grade, somewhere in there, it was bring your dad to school day. 00:28:22.128 --> 00:28:23.598 You know what does your dad do? 00:28:23.598 --> 00:28:31.621 And I'm thinking how am I going to explain to fourth graders and fifth graders what a development officer is? 00:28:31.621 --> 00:28:41.164 You know, how do I explain to them that I'm a professional beggar, that you know I go ask for money and support, and you know all this stuff. 00:28:41.164 --> 00:28:49.780 And so what I did was I went into the classroom and I went up to the whiteboard and on the whiteboard I drew a little bitty door and I asked the kids. 00:28:49.780 --> 00:28:51.625 I said how many of you could get through that door? 00:28:51.625 --> 00:28:53.215 And they said no, sir. 00:28:53.215 --> 00:28:58.895 And then I drew a really big door and I said now how many of y'all could get through that door? 00:28:58.895 --> 00:28:59.718 And they said yes, sir. 00:28:59.718 --> 00:29:02.584 I said that's what I do I make doors bigger. 00:29:02.584 --> 00:29:04.568 That's awesome. 00:29:04.568 --> 00:29:14.674 I want more kids to have opportunities, I want more teachers to have opportunities and so, archimedes, when I hear your story, you understand now why it makes me so proud. 00:29:14.674 --> 00:29:32.781 It makes me proud to see a student of ffa, through the support of a teacher and mentors, accomplish so much in life, to be grateful for the opportunity and then to capitalize on the opportunity and have these incredible outcomes. 00:29:32.781 --> 00:29:41.788 And I just want you to know your stories and, like I said, it's probably one of my more inspiring stories that I like to share with people. 00:29:41.788 --> 00:29:44.540 And I've told your story about the plane ride many times. 00:29:44.540 --> 00:30:00.580 I've told the story about that FFA jacket many times, and so just know that there's always somebody watching and there's a lot of people that are very grateful for the success that you've had. 00:30:00.580 --> 00:30:06.057 I know Tracy and his wife are, I guarantee you and so many others. 00:30:06.057 --> 00:30:08.461 So let's try to pour some of that into everybody else. 00:30:08.560 --> 00:30:13.309 So I like to ask the kids I don't know about Wisconsin, I'll just tell you about Texas. 00:30:13.309 --> 00:30:14.737 I asked the kids. 00:30:14.737 --> 00:30:16.701 I said, how many high schools are in Texas? 00:30:16.701 --> 00:30:18.586 They'll say a lot. 00:30:18.586 --> 00:30:21.219 I say, yeah, there's a lot. 00:30:21.219 --> 00:30:24.184 There's over 3,000 high schools in the state of Texas. 00:30:24.184 --> 00:30:30.396 I said now, think about that 3,000 high schools. 00:30:30.396 --> 00:30:34.185 How many of those 3,000 are going to have a graduating class this year? 00:30:34.185 --> 00:30:34.606 Every one of them. 00:30:34.606 --> 00:30:35.228 Think about that. 00:30:35.228 --> 00:30:37.840 They're all going to be getting out, all your college kids, by the way. 00:30:37.840 --> 00:30:38.301 Guess what. 00:30:38.301 --> 00:30:40.979 Every university, every college that has a graduating class. 00:30:40.979 --> 00:30:41.460 Guess what. 00:30:41.460 --> 00:30:47.442 Everybody's going to be out looking for a job, a scholarship or an opportunity, everybody. 00:30:47.442 --> 00:30:51.499 So the question then becomes what's your competitive edge? 00:30:51.499 --> 00:30:55.009 What separates you from everybody else? 00:30:55.009 --> 00:31:02.248 Because if you're all going to be competing for attention, an opportunity, a scholarship, what's your competitive edge? 00:31:02.248 --> 00:31:15.778 And so, archimedes, when I look at your success, I would ask you this question If you could tell a high school kid here are three tips to be successful, what would you tell them? 00:31:17.962 --> 00:31:19.006 You need to be adaptable. 00:31:19.006 --> 00:31:26.290 First and foremost, you need to be able to communicate what your needs are and how you think you're going to achieve those needs. 00:31:26.290 --> 00:31:27.693 You need to have integrity. 00:31:27.693 --> 00:31:30.146 To me, those are the three top things to have. 00:31:30.146 --> 00:31:33.869 Agriculture industry is changing so fast. 00:31:33.869 --> 00:31:37.589 Technology is making things move at the speed of life. 00:31:37.589 --> 00:31:42.788 We need to be sustainable because we're losing ground to urbanization. 00:31:44.532 --> 00:31:49.653 Global trade right is one of the economical how do I put this? 00:31:49.653 --> 00:31:57.653 But global trade is basically determining how much money we're going to make in our commodities, and so we need to be able to adapt. 00:31:57.653 --> 00:32:14.556 We need to be able to have confidence in our skills and our professionalism to be successful, and if we have those keys, key points, we're going to be able to stand out and have an edge, and so it's important for us to be able to do that right. 00:32:14.556 --> 00:32:22.834 Not just the technical knowledge, but also the communication, the problem solving and the leadership skills all those are critical components to be successful. 00:32:23.861 --> 00:32:28.367 And you know, I think as a teacher, I play a vital role in opening those doors. 00:32:28.367 --> 00:32:44.520 Again, I play a vital role in making those students adaptable, have communication skills, have the ability to lead, Because in my job I set them up for competitive judging teams, I make them go to competitions, I make them lead a group. 00:32:44.520 --> 00:32:53.730 Not just that, but I make them lead projects where they have to do speeches, they have to communicate, and my goal is to help them find their voice and their values. 00:32:53.730 --> 00:33:04.491 Mr Cortez helped me do that and I want to help that to my students, and if I can help them find their voice and their values, I think that those students are going to be successful. 00:33:05.901 --> 00:33:09.710 Yeah, if you remember, go back to your days in the ambassador room. 00:33:09.710 --> 00:33:12.022 There were two quotes that we had all around the walls. 00:33:12.022 --> 00:33:17.662 One the essence of leadership is to plant trees under whose shade you may never sit. 00:33:17.662 --> 00:33:18.703 That's right. 00:33:18.703 --> 00:33:23.153 And number two when your values are clear, your choices are easy. 00:33:24.980 --> 00:33:27.886 Yes sir, listen to your story, your value system. 00:33:27.886 --> 00:33:41.586 Because of your value system, the choices that you've made in life have been very easy Taking care of your family, trying to help others, stand up and advocate for the work, for the industry. 00:33:41.586 --> 00:34:00.146 Um yeah, and when you talked about changes in agriculture, you know I've got a presentation that I give called ai cubed, and the reason I did it was because, you know, depending on who you talk to, if you come from our world and we say ai, we think of artificial insemination. 00:34:00.146 --> 00:34:04.866 If you come outside of our world, you say AI, you think of artificial intelligence. 00:34:04.866 --> 00:34:11.067 But I guarantee you there's one thing that we all have in common and that's that we need more agricultural information. 00:34:11.067 --> 00:34:12.690 That is true. 00:34:14.065 --> 00:34:19.027 Because you know it's people that don't understand the scope of our food supply. 00:34:19.027 --> 00:34:23.070 They don't understand the international trade components. 00:34:23.070 --> 00:34:27.114 They don't understand just even the regulations here in our own country. 00:34:27.114 --> 00:34:32.673 They don't understand the economics of thin margins that farmers and ranchers live by. 00:34:32.673 --> 00:34:46.014 You know, I tell people farmers and ranchers are some of the smartest people I know, because no one knows how to stretch their margins and gain margins better than people that are actually there farming and production agriculture. 00:34:46.014 --> 00:34:56.813 So there's a lot of real wisdom in what you just said and, should it be another podcast, we could probably have a whole discussion just on that topic alone. 00:34:57.400 --> 00:35:01.931 Every time I talk about how I met you and the stories that I have learned going through the years. 00:35:01.931 --> 00:35:07.092 I'll always talk about the flight that you purchased for me, that I flew to Dallas and I talked about that. 00:35:07.092 --> 00:35:10.971 And there's only so much we can do as educators. 00:35:10.971 --> 00:35:13.467 There's only so many opportunities we can offer. 00:35:13.467 --> 00:35:17.402 And to me, I look at, you talked about you being a professional beggar right just a little while ago. 00:35:17.402 --> 00:35:26.548 You talked about you being a professional beggar right just a little while ago, and that made me think of something that because of people like you, we have sponsors. 00:35:26.809 --> 00:35:31.512 Because of people like you, we have people that donate to the growth and success of the youth. 00:35:31.512 --> 00:35:47.253 There are people that do scholarships, individuals that open up those doors or that make the doors bigger or assist you to make those doors bigger, and without their support, this wouldn't be possible, and so we need their support for us to be able to have more opportunities. 00:35:47.253 --> 00:35:48.659 We need to have. 00:35:48.659 --> 00:35:59.670 We need to provide better resources, travel, exposure to different things so our students understand what the industry is all about and so they can meet and interact with industry leaders. 00:35:59.670 --> 00:36:15.409 When you meet and interact with industry leaders, it gives you the sense of saying I one day want to be like that person wow and so and so, to me that's, that's super, super important, and so if donors are going to be hearing this, uh, this podcast, I hope that they they can. 00:36:15.409 --> 00:36:28.806 They understand that their dollars were well spent, at least in my part, and I hope that a lot of other students that have been able to get support through those also using them very well, and hopefully that this helps. 00:36:29.380 --> 00:36:35.210 Thank you so much for saying that, because let me tell you something, let me just capitalize on what Archimedes just said. 00:36:35.210 --> 00:36:40.505 You know, I tell people all the time that at the end of every dollar, think about what I just said. 00:36:40.505 --> 00:36:41.994 At the end of every dollar, think about what I just said. 00:36:41.994 --> 00:36:47.652 At the end of every dollar, there is an opportunity for a kid or an opportunity for a teacher. 00:36:47.652 --> 00:36:53.347 You and I are recording this in May 2025. 00:36:54.349 --> 00:37:11.030 And in May 2025, texas FFA members, texas agricultural science teachers, have access to more scholarships, more leadership development and more professional networks than ever in our history. 00:37:11.030 --> 00:37:16.250 We're almost 100 years old and we have more today than we've ever had. 00:37:16.250 --> 00:37:22.690 And the most important thing is what our committee has just expressed, and that is gratitude. 00:37:22.690 --> 00:37:29.349 We're not entitled to any of those dollars those sponsors could give to so many incredible causes. 00:37:29.349 --> 00:37:35.552 I'm just so thankful that I'm in a position where I get to share with them stories like Archimedes. 00:37:35.552 --> 00:37:47.907 I get to say this is what happens when you support our kids and, as a result, archimedes, you and I are making that door bigger for the people that are going to follow. 00:37:47.927 --> 00:37:48.528 That's always a goal. 00:37:48.980 --> 00:37:50.346 And they're going to say that one day. 00:37:50.346 --> 00:37:57.045 They're going to say Archimedes, I heard his story and if he can do it, I can do it. 00:37:57.045 --> 00:37:58.688 That's right. 00:37:58.688 --> 00:38:00.793 Yes, sir, all right. 00:38:00.793 --> 00:38:02.608 Well, let's wrap this up. 00:38:02.608 --> 00:38:04.219 You get one fun question, perfect. 00:38:04.219 --> 00:38:11.086 So okay I want to know what's the best concert you've ever been to what's the best concert we've ever been to? 00:38:11.969 --> 00:38:14.114 oh man, that's a good one. 00:38:14.114 --> 00:38:17.860 It's probably gonna be uh, uh. 00:38:17.860 --> 00:38:20.643 So right now, probably cody johnson c Johnson. 00:38:20.643 --> 00:38:21.943 I went to one of his concerts. 00:38:21.943 --> 00:38:28.289 Yeah, cody Johnson, yeah, you know, I guess I'm going to say something back to that and just add it on to it. 00:38:28.289 --> 00:38:48.168 Every time he has a concert, he stops in the middle of the concert and says I want to give thanks to our veterans, I want to give thanks to our first responders, and he goes through this whole spiel and he builds so much pride around that and so when he does that. 00:38:48.460 --> 00:38:54.380 I'm a local volunteer firefighter because I want to give back to the community, right, I got I took from that community. 00:38:54.380 --> 00:38:57.905 I want to give back to the community as much as I can and I want to do a tenfold. 00:38:57.905 --> 00:39:01.708 And so when he says those things, he brings the community together. 00:39:01.708 --> 00:39:06.688 And when you speak at events, I feel like you're like the Cody Johnson. 00:39:06.688 --> 00:39:08.291 You bring the community together, right. 00:39:08.291 --> 00:39:10.684 And so to me that's a good concept. 00:39:11.266 --> 00:39:13.429 Well, that's good, that was really good. 00:39:13.429 --> 00:39:16.161 I'm trying to get him on this podcast. 00:39:16.161 --> 00:39:20.293 So if I ever get him on here, I want to tell him he's got to watch this podcast. 00:39:20.293 --> 00:39:24.344 There you go, because that was powerful, and I agree with you. 00:39:24.344 --> 00:39:28.983 By the way, I appreciate the fact that he expresses that gratitude Again. 00:39:28.983 --> 00:39:32.340 That's why we start this podcast off with you know what are you grateful for today? 00:39:32.340 --> 00:39:39.605 Because, like you said, I believe it becomes something that you can rally around, that you can build on. 00:39:39.605 --> 00:39:42.554 So thank you so much for sharing that. 00:39:43.396 --> 00:39:48.090 Ladies and gentlemen, I mean I could just keep talking to Archimedes all day long. 00:39:48.090 --> 00:39:51.460 Again, I got to see him as a high school kid. 00:39:51.460 --> 00:39:57.391 I watched him go through Texas A&M University and put on that Corps Cadet uniform. 00:39:57.391 --> 00:40:02.166 I watched him pursue his master's and his doctoral. 00:40:02.166 --> 00:40:06.204 I get to see through social media that's the reason why I like social media. 00:40:06.204 --> 00:40:08.911 I get to see him start his beautiful family. 00:40:08.911 --> 00:40:13.148 I get to see these doors of opportunity that are opening up for him. 00:40:13.148 --> 00:40:19.088 But, more importantly, I get to hear somebody who's very passionate about giving it back. 00:40:19.088 --> 00:40:34.248 And we stand on the shoulders every one of us, we stand on the shoulders of the people that went before us, and go back to what we said the essence of leadership is to plant trees under whose shade you may never sit. 00:40:34.268 --> 00:40:51.871