Kinsey Watkins of Guy, Ark., said she has found what she was looking for at Southern Arkansas University – that “home away from home” feeling.
Watkins will be a freshman this year but comes to SAU already familiar with the University and with a prestigious title: 2016-2017 state president of the Arkansas FFA (Future Farmers of America).
She joins other recent high-ranking FFA officers who chose SAU, including Taylor McNeel, who like Watkins came to SAU as state FFA president and who last year was elected national president of FFA. McNeel is presently a senior.
Watkins was elected to her position on June 3 during the 89th Arkansas FFA State Convention at Camp Couchdale in Hot Springs.
A lifetime in agriculture led her to pursue her academic and career goals. She will major in Agriculture Business/Animal Science and intends to make the field her life’s work. Watkins, who is 18, has always held herself to a higher standard in FFA as well as at school and in her community.
Helping feed a growing world population is one reason she wants to devote her life to agriculture.
“People will always need food and shelter. Those are the major (aspects) of agriculture, and this is what I want to do,” she said.
Expanding technologies are another reason she feels so strongly about agriculture.
“It’s ever-changing,” she said of technology, “and with the population growing so rapidly, we need to promote these new technologies and let people see how they will feed the world.”
“There needs to be a more positive perception of agriculture,” she said. “There are some misconceptions but we need to hone in on the positive aspects and keep pushing for those. I want to be able to advocate for the industry throughout Arkansas and across the nation, as much as possible.”
Her personal connection to McNeel helped her decide to seek state office.
“We grew up in Faulkner County,” Watkins said of McNeel. “We showed (livestock) at the same county fair. She’s always been a mentor to me. When she became FFA state president, I attended some of her leadership camps, and it was just seeing her influence others that sparked my interest in running.”
“Just seeing how state officers connected with me and other Arkansas FFA members really stood out. On the way home, I told my ag-teacher that becoming a state officer was something I wanted to do. I wanted to be that model for members across the state, someone they could talk to.”
“I know that becoming a state officer is a privilege, but my main goal was to become the state president,” she said.
Watkins said she always enjoyed being involved in activities at Guy-Perkins and looked for leadership positions.
“Whenever we would go to competitions or other leadership camps, I was someone my fellow chapter members looked up to. I enjoyed being that person,” she said of serving as chapter FFA president at Guy-Perkins.
Participating in community service also gives her a feeling of satisfaction. “You know ahead of time that you might not receive anything in return,” she said of such projects. “You leave with satisfaction knowing that you helped someone or a group of people.”
Leadership training helped her gain a sense of perspective.
“You learn about yourself – your strengths and weaknesses, what you’re bringing to the team,” she said. “You learn how to come together and build upon each other to serve Arkansas FFA members to the fullest.”
She said she learned that one of her own strengths was “being reliable. I know that when I commit, I’m willing to go full-force.”
As state president, she said she will “travel across Arkansas, meet industry representatives and go to conferences.”
Already she has traveled to Washington, D.C. to attend the National FFA State Presidents’ Conference, which was held July 25-29.
“We were able to see some of the sights of Washington, D.C. and learn what is coming up at this year’s national conference, which will be held in Indianapolis. I will serve as group-discussion leader on a committee at that conference in October.”
Regarding SAU, she said, “I grew up showing livestock, so I’ve been here before. I know the campus very well and I have a lot of stock-show family here. When I came to tour, I thought, ‘This is an option,’ but when I arrived here, and people knew me by name, that was very comforting.”
“I had a meeting with Dr. Berry in his office. I talked to him for a good 20 minutes, and that stood out. Being able to meet the president … meant a lot to me,” she said, noting that she “felt really good” about receiving a Foundation scholarship from the University.
She said she’s heard nothing but positive things about the agriculture program at SAU. “That really got me interested in coming here.”
“When I toured, I met a lot of the agriculture professors and that was another reason I felt comfortable with SAU – having one-on-one conversations with them. They were honest with me about what SAU has to offer. That was great,” she said.
“I actually met with Rusty Hayes (who) I knew before my tour. He showed me the Farm, and I’m excited about getting involved in the sheep barn – I have a passion for that.”
She said her parents, Mitchell and Diana, are excited about SAU. “They saw how excited I was. It’s like my home away from home. I wanted something that would be comfortable and my parents knew it was just that for me.”
She credits her parents with introducing her to the world of agriculture. “Throughout my life, I’ve always been in the agriculture scene. I started showing livestock when I was five years old. I showed cattle, broilers, market goats and lambs.”
“The most exciting part of showing livestock was when I got to run a jackpot series through the Arkansas Junior Sheep Council. I would go every weekend in the summer to livestock shows across the state. I developed a stock-show family just by doing this. Not only did the council allow me to do this series but to also hone my leadership skills. I was able to serve as president of the association for two years in a row.”
Watkins’ resume contains many impressive honors, such as Rotary Club Outstanding 9th Grader; first place 4-H Public Speaker; FBLA first place Public Speaker; FFA National Delegate; and a National Bronze award in Sheep Production.
As a Conway Outstanding Business Woman, she was “inspired to know that being a woman doesn’t stop you from doing something big in the business world.”
She has ranked at or near the top in a variety of other achievements, including academic awards in science, math, English and agriculture; premier livestock exhibitor; Girls State Qualifier and Outstanding Senior 4-H member. She has also volunteered in numerous community service projects.
In addition to serving as chapter FFA president at Guy-Perkins High School, she also served as Future Business Leaders of America vice-president, Beta secretary, Student Council vice-president, 4-H president and class president from 7th-12th grade. She was also the 2015-2016 Arkansas Junior Sheep Council president.
