For Tupper, the journey was worth it

Michael Tupper's dream of becoming a FFA national officer came to an end on Saturday.But — and this is a gigantic but — the quest was well worth it."I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed," Tupper said Sunday afternoon, "yet at the same time, it was fulfilling. I feel like I came out of this a different person, a better person, than I went into it."Last Tuesday, Tupper was selected as one of 22 finalists for six national officer positions, but on Saturday, when the officers were announced at the FFA National Convention in Indianapolis, Tupper's name was not called.And with that, a brilliant FFA career came to an end. For four years at New Hampton High School, Tupper was a major force in the school's FFA program. He was elected a state officer in 2014, and a year later, he was elected the state FFA president.This past spring, he was selected to be Iowa's "candidate" for national office. Under the national FFA rules, each state can nominate only one candidate to be considered at the national convention.The candidates go through a rigorous selection process before finalists  are announced, and then go through several more rounds of interviews and speeches before the officers are named.For the complete story see the 10/25/2016 New Hampton Tribune.