FFA Brings Unexpected Inspiration to Vela
Published: Friday, February 20, 2026
Erianna Vela, 18, of Orland found self-confidence and her place in life after joining FFA in high school, despite not having an agricultural background.
The daughter of Erica and Lyle Baker, Vela quickly rose from her quiet seat in the back of the class to the statewide stage as the Indiana FFA northern region vice president.
"I didn't grow up with an agricultural background, but my first introduction to that was through FFA in my seventh-grade ag class. That whole world in general has always been so interesting to me," Vela said.
After that first taste of FFA, Vela decided to get more involved. Her freshman year, she joined the Prairie Heights FFA Chapter and competed in parliamentary procedure, prepared public speaking, quiz bowl and soils judging.
"Public speaking was the thing that really made my heart sing," she said.
Although Vela said she "bombed" her first competition, she returned the next year to advance all the way to the state competition.
"That doesn't really happen," she said.
Prepared public speaking was Vela's leadership development event, and she made it to the state competition two years in a row. However, during the second year, she was involved in a school farm accident that left her with two skull fractures and a concussion. Despite still being in recovery, she was determined to compete.
"That time I didn't do very well, but I loved it so much I had to get down to Purdue that day and give that speech because I was so passionate about it," she said.
Through her public speaking competitions, Vela said she transformed herself from a giggly girl who couldn't complete a speech without tumbling into uncontrolled laughter to a well-spoken state leader.
"Initially I was interested in that leadership aspect and doing public speaking," she said. "Through that, it was easy to develop a passion and love for agriculture."
Vela went on to serve as chapter president and as a district officer during her senior year.
As a career development event, Vela competed in soils judging. This, combined with her public speaking and newfound passion for agriculture, introduced her to her supervised agriculture experience and dream career: agricultural education.
Once a month, Vela presented lessons at the elementary school and taught second graders about plants. This SAE was part of the Grow Program, which teaches elementary students about plants and horticulture.
Vela would go to one class each day of the week and give second graders a 10– or 15-minute lesson about plants, greenhouses, gardens, flowers, vegetables, etc. In the spring, she would give them a plant to care for throughout the summer and teach them good cultivation practices.
"That's how I really got interested in ag education and grew my love for advocating for agriculture," she said.
Following Vela's experiences in chapter and district office, she decided it was time to push her limits even further. It was time to run for state office.
When asked which FFA experiences were most influential, Vela pointed to three key moments.
First was qualifying for the state prepared public speaking contest in her freshman year.
"That jump from being pretty much dead last in freshman prepared public speaking to getting first at district – it was one of the best days in my FFA career," she said.
Second was last year at the Indiana State FFA Convention, when she was named the northern region vice president.
"It was something that I had been praying about for so long, and I had poured my heart and soul into the three days of interviews and rounds. It was such a vulnerable, spiritual experience that really grounds you and fulfills you," she said.
The third most influential experience Vela discussed was friendship.
"I met my best friend through FFA, and she really pushed me to grow throughout my years in FFA," she said.
Before joining FFA, Vela said it was hard for her to maintain friendships. But this is no longer a problem.
"FFA is just a place that gives you so many lifelong connections and it helps you network in so many cool ways. But those friendships are just what last forever, and you know that in joining the FFA, all those people in a blue jacket have the same morals and values as you," Vela said. "You can go up to anybody in a blue jacket across the country and immediately know that you have a common ground and you can pretty much form a connection immediately."
Most importantly, Vela said FFA gave her confidence.
"It just gave me that confidence that I needed within myself to continue to aim higher and learn how to be a servant leader," she said.
Servant leadership is among Vela's top values, she said, and it is one she learned through FFA. She said this value was portrayed through her FFA advisors, Ron Knoll and Benjamin Leu, who served as role models for her and her other chapter members.
"My ag teachers were so influential in my FFA journey. If it wasn't for them and my peers, I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing, because it was those people who encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone, try new things, and told my I was good enough to run for those leadership roles and develop my servant leadership," she said.
This encouragement, she said, put servant leadership in a central role in her life.
"Servant leadership is something that I hold so close to my heart, and that's one of my values and morals that I never would have developed if I wouldn't have joined FFA, and it's something that I hold so close to me. That and my relationship with God," she said. "I wouldn't have ever developed that as much as I have throughout FFA because of the people around me who pushed me to grow closer to God and develop my character in that way."
Being a state leader has been a huge opportunity for servant leadership. Vela said the very role is built around that idea. Some lessons she has learned through state leadership are making personal connections on a larger scale, and resilience.
When asked what FFA meant to her, Vela said it meant home.
"FFA gave me a place to belong. Even though I didn't grow up with an ag background, I still felt right at home," she said.
Return to Top of Page