2011-2012 State Reporter Eliana Bolt
Eliana Bolt, 18, is incredibly excited to be serving as your Washington State FFA Reporter this year. She joined the Ferndale FFA Chapter the summer before her 8th grade year and has enjoyed every minute spent in her blue jacket since. While in office, Eliana hopes to represent the Washington FFA with a personable attitude and unique passion for agriculture.
Throughout her four years of membership, Eliana served as the Ferndale FFA chapter President and Treasurer. She also remained active by attending several leadership conferences such as MFE, ALD, 212/360, along with State and National Conventions.
At the beginning of her freshman year, Ellie got reluctantly dragged into the Creed CDE. It was this CDE that helped her discover not only her love of FFA, but of public speaking. Competing in creed opened her up to many other CDE’s such as Rituals, and Sales and Service. Her sophomore and junior year, Eliana continued in the Sales and Service CDE, and also competed in Prepared Public Speaking. At the 2010 State Convention, Eliana’s Sales Team took first place in Washington and was given the opportunity to compete at the National Level. At Nationals in 2010, her team received fourth in the Nation, and Eliana placed 13th individually.
Since she was young, Ellie has shown blonde Belgian draft horses with her family. Her uncle, Dan Weidkamp, owns the hitch and has given Eliana the opportunity to help with several fairs every summer. Because of this family operation, Ellie has only shown animals through FFA once. This experience was with a swine production project her senior year. She thoroughly enjoyed raising and showing her three pigs and hopes to raise swine when she’s older.
Outside of FFA, Eliana has actively participated in her high schools Treble, Concert and Swing Choirs for three years. She also served as Ferndale’s Colorguard Captain her senior year. One of her other activities was also a competition called, “Imagine Tomorrow”. In this competition, Ellie joined three other students in presenting a project concerning the benefits of Anaerobic Digestion for Dairy Farms. This is a topic Eliana hopes to remain an advocate for not only in her year of service, but throughout college.
The opportunities that State Office has presented to Eliana are humbling and incredible to experience. She would like to thank everyone who helped her accomplish her goals, and she wishes all the Washington State FFA Members an incredible year.