“The opportunities NEISD gave me inside and outside of FFA were really what helped me develop and prepare for where I am at right now.”
Ember Reyes is a 2021 graduate of Madison High School.
And just months after crossing the graduation stage, she was elected as the Texas Future Farmers of America (FFA) State President.
“Mr. Tyler Price was my teacher all throughout high school and I remember him saying, there are a lot of people who need FFA, but there are not a lot of people the FFA needs, but that I am one the FFA needs. And that really was the key point in running for state office.”
As President, Ember travels all over the state helping FFA programs with leadership workshops and various other things.
But it was her time at North East ISD that prepared her for this journey.
Because when Ember was a kid she really wasn’t interested in FFA.
One of her middle school teachers helped spark Ember’s passion.
“Ms. Robyn Bandy was actually my sixth-grade English teacher. She had developed a really good mentor relationship with me and kind of took me under her wing and really helped me grow throughout middle school at Wood. When I was in eighth grade, I saw she was teaching a Principles of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources class and I wanted to be a vet and I was comfortable with this teacher and it would be a good step for my career, but little did I know I would be finding one of my biggest passions.”
After attending Wood Middle School, Ember enrolled in Madison’s Agriscience Magnet Program (AMP) and got heavily involved in FFA. AMP gave Ember opportunities she doesn’t believe should would have found anywhere else. She worked with the Guide Dogs for the Blind program—cementing her desire to become a veterinarian.
“It was really cool being able to get that experience so that I could convey to people who wanted to give me scholarship money or colleges to really be able to tell them I didn’t just have text book knowledge but I had hands-on applications and without FFA I wouldn’t be able to say that.”
Ember Reyes is representing NEISD all over the state #theNEISDway.
February 19-26 is National FFA Week, celebrating the impact FFA makes on its members daily.
To learn more about AMP at Madison, click here.
