A Unity College senior will head to Louisville, Ky., next week to receive the highest achievement conferred by Future Farmers of America.
Samantha Pendred ‘16, a Secondary Education major and president of the FFA campus chapter at Unity College, will receive her American Degree at the annual Future Farmers of America Convention and Expo, Oct. 28-31.
Pendred, of West Haven, Conn., earned the honor by having received the State FFA Degree, having been an active member for the past three years, and maintaining a record of satisfactory participation in activities on the chapter and state levels. She also satisfactorily completed systematic secondary school instruction in agricultural education, among many other qualifications.
“I have seen Sam excel at service-based learning in the local community, from campus-wide food drives and volunteer hours at local farms to a spring lamb auction to benefit the Volunteer Regional Food Pantry,” said Unity College Farm Manager Megan Anderson ’09, who served as Pendred’s collegiate FFA advisor for two years. “Sam consistently brings knowledge and integrity to vital ag-based programs. We are very proud of her accomplishments.”
Future Farmers of America is “committed to the individual student, providing a path to achievement in premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education,” according to its website.
The degree is the highest honor awarded to FFA members who have demonstrated the highest level of commitment to FFA and made significant accomplishments in their supervised agricultural experience, the organization says. Pendred is the only college student in Maine who will receive the award in October.
Pendred represents the Lyman Hall chapter of FFA in Wallingford, Conn. “I am very excited,” she said.
There are 610,240 student FFA members in grades seven through 12 who belong to one of 7,665 local chapters throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the organization says on its website. FFA operates on local, state and national levels.
