Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education
1500 W. Seventh Ave., Stillwater, OK 74074
Phone: 405-743-5156
Email: bmarton@okcareertech.org
CareerTech Impacts Life of Truman Scholar Cortney Timmons
Cortney Timmons’ passion for agriculture since her 4-H and early FFA days in the eighth grade led her to major in Biosystems and Agriculture Engineering at Oklahoma State University.
In March Timmons, now a senior, received the Harry S. Truman Scholarship, a $30,000 scholarship for the award that focuses on leadership, civic responsibilities and community service. The Truman Scholarship finds and recognizes college juniors with exceptional leadership potential who are committed to careers in government, the nonprofit or advocacy sectors, education or elsewhere in public service. Growing up around agriculture in Byng, Okla. Timmons remained active with CareerTech’s Agricultural Education and its student organization FFA into college as a state FFA reporter during her freshman year at OSU. Agricultural Education and its student organization FFA are integral to the Oklahoma CareerTech system. Timmons said FFA prepared her for a successful college career. “It kept me on top of things, such as how to manage time and how to work on research projects,” Timmons said. “I learned about leadership, how to be a servant leader and the significance of the three circles important to FFA: instruction in class, supervising agriculture and FFA classroom instruction.” “FFA helped lead me to the Harry S. Truman Scholarship through all the community work and services I was involved in,” Timmons said. |
Cortney Timmons |
Oklahoma FFA Executive Secretary Kent Boggs said FFA helps students find pathways in life. The values taught in FFA are in large measure tied to its traditions and symbols such as the FFA creed, motto, colors, salute, code of ethics and official dress.
FFA is a dynamic youth organization within agricultural education that changes lives and prepares students for premier leadership, personal growth and career success.
“The core value of the FFA mission is to build character and promote citizenship, volunteerism and patriotism,” Boggs said. “Many activities contain a service-learning component to embrace this core value.”
“The leadership development activities offered to FFA members are recognized as some of the finest available for young people,” Boggs said.
The FFA has been helping students succeed since its inception 1928. Currently, the organization has 7,358 chapters in all 50 states including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
In Oklahoma, 23,555 students from the 8-12th grade are enrolled in agricultural education classes at their local public schools and become members of the FFA student organization, Boggs said.
“Nationally, more than one-half million students are engaged in a wide range of agricultural education activities, leading to some 300 career opportunities in the agricultural science, food, fiber and natural resources industry,” Boggs said.
Timmons said FFA also taught her how to interact with and communicate with new people, a skill that has come in handy during her travels across the country. She has learned that CareerTech is an important asset to the state.
“As I traveled to different states, such as California, Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, for various workshops and conventions, I would ask about the different CareerTech services,” Timmons said. “From the responses I received, Oklahoma’s CareerTech system is definitely one of the best.”
Posted July 8, 2008